


we're close, but not that way

by coocoocatchoo, killuagone



Series: something new from something old [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Bokuaka - Freeform, College AU, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Iwaizumi Hajime - Freeform, Kozume Kenma - Freeform, KuroKen - Freeform, Kuroo Tetsurou - Freeform, M/M, Slow Burn, akaashi keiji - Freeform, bokuto koutarou - Freeform, iwaoi - Freeform, oikawa tooru - Freeform, ushiten, ushiten for two seconds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:28:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 46,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23101708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coocoocatchoo/pseuds/coocoocatchoo, https://archiveofourown.org/users/killuagone/pseuds/killuagone
Summary: There Kuroo was, alive and very much asleep, with an arm bent behind his head, and Kenma curled into his side. Bokuto slowly backed out of the room and shut the door behind him.“What’s wrong, Ko?” Akaashi had been waiting on the couch in the living room by the door when Bokuto returned to their shared apartment.“I think Kuroo Tetsurou and Kozume Kenma are gay.” Bokuto said quietly.-Kenma has been in love with Kuroo for 4 years, and Kuroo is none the wiser.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Tendou Satori/Ushijima Wakatoshi
Series: something new from something old [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1838773
Comments: 178
Kudos: 1143
Collections: Kuroken, comfort ships





	1. Friday, August 18th

**Author's Note:**

> we have one brain cell between the two of us and we used all of its power to write this

“I’m just saying, I think it’s time we talked about this kind of stuff. As a long term couple, it’s extremely important that we are on the same page and have set plans.”

“Sachiko, what are you even talking about? I’m sorry, but can we just not do this right now? Kenma is on his way here and I really have to finish clearing out this room.” Kuroo said hastily, picking up random boxes and moving them to the living room.

“Are you serious? You do this every single time I try to have a serious conversation. Do you even want to progress our relationship? Kuroo, do I even mean anything to you?"

“Woah, you’re blowing this way out of proportion! Can we just talk later? Kenma is on his way and I—”

“Yes! I know! Kenma, your best friend, is coming! You literally talk about him every five minutes, I get it. You know what? Whatever. Call me when you’re done with your stupid friend.” Sachiko muttered harshly as she left Kuroo’s apartment, slamming the door in her exit. 

Kuroo rolled his eyes and simply picked up the pace, hurriedly emptying the room of his things so nothing would be in Kenma’s way. The anticipation of his best friend moving in started to sink in and excitement flooded his mind, his argument with his year-long girlfriend quickly taking a back seat. The former teammates had been apart for only a couple of weeks, but had not been able to talk often. The thought of living together reminded him of his childhood when they had lived thirty steps away and would spend everyday together. It was something he had come to dearly miss. Kuroo sent a text to Kenma confirming when he would be arriving and continued to clean his, or rather their, apartment. 

Kenma texted Kuroo about his arrival, causing Kuroo to excitedly race towards the front of the apartment building. 

“Kenma!” Kuroo exclaimed, running towards the short blonde haired boy and picking him up. Kenma’s arms stayed limp by his side as Kuroo raised him off the ground.

“Kurooo…” Kenma groaned, his voice muffled by the fabric of Kuroo’s sweatshirt. Kuroo eventually put him down and helped him collect the bags he had with him. Once in the apartment, they began to place Kenma’s bags in his room and Kenma settled cross legged on the floor in the living room, watching Kuroo scurry around.

“Kuro, are you okay?”

Kuroo stopped in his tracks, placing a box on the ground. “Yeah, what do you mean?”

“You just seem a little off.” Kenma replied. Kuroo was acting a little weird, mostly because things were changing, and although he was excited, the concept of moving in together was just...new.

Kuroo wanted to avoid the topic of their ever changing dynamic. Kuroo and Kenma had practically lived together in their childhood, but now they were adults and their relationship had changed since then. 

“Oh. Uh. Sachiko and I got into a fight...again.” Kuroo began to explain his and Sachiko’s situation to Kenma, and when he finished, Kenma simply nodded.

“She probably wants to get married.”

“Kenma, that makes no sense.”

“You can’t be that surprised, Sachiko has been the type to follow her life plan to a tee.” Kenma replied. Kenma had never actually met Sachiko due to her obvious disinterest in Kuroo’s friends. Even so, Kenma could gather what she was like through the scenarios Kuroo had told him and through the things she had made him do over the last year.

“We’re only in our second year of college though, that thought hasn’t even crossed my mind.”

“It’s a little concerning that you haven’t even thought about marrying your year long girlfriend who wants to marry you, don’t you think?” Kenma said, shifting himself to lay flat on his back on the floor. Kuroo followed and laid his head near Kenma’s.

“I guess it is.”

A comfortable silence washed over the two friends for about twenty seconds before they both jolted out of their relaxation, their heads swiveled in the direction of the front door. 

“Hey, hey, hey!” A crash and a bang could be heard from the foyer, followed by another voice hissing at the one who caused all the commotion. 

“Bokuto, please, we’re here to help not mess shit up.” Iwaizumi carefully slipped out of his sneakers and placed them in the corner by the door, while Bokuto left his shoes in the middle of the hallway.

“Exactly, so there’s no time to waste, Iwajumi!” Bokuto disappeared behind a pile of boxes and Iwaizumi sighed as he followed the energetic wing spiker, knowing his friend meant well, but was just not good with names. Or staying calm. Or sometimes life in general.

The soon-to-be living room was filled with unopened boxes, half opened boxes, and broken down boxes, with tape and packing peanuts littering the pale, sandy-brown carpet. There were no paintings or art or decor on the wall, and the kitchen was kind of bare, but the four volleyball players, both current and former, were going to make it work. 

“Kenma!” Bokuto greeted, approaching the former setter with such vigorous excitement that it made Kenma rise all the way to his feet, which he found would be a poor decision on his part. He was scooped up for the second time that day, this time by the grey-haired wing spiker, and held high into the air. 

“Bo, stop, you’re gonna kill him.” Kuroo chuckled, watching Kenma glare down at Bokuto’s grinning face. Kenma was not fond of the way Bokuto would man handle him every time he saw him. And he was _especially_ not fond of the way Kuroo and Bokuto would lift him up like he was Simba from the Lion King.

Once Kenma was set down, he looked on as Kuroo greeted a man he did not recognize; the first thing Kenma noticed about this unfamiliar guy were the large biceps that strained against his sleeves. The second thing he noticed was the permanent crease in between the guy’s eyebrows, and faint frown lines that revealed a story Kenma would rather not involve himself in.

“I’m Iwaizumi, Kuroo’s friend. He asked me to help move yo—”

“I mean, do you _see_ his arms? Of course, I asked him to help!” Kuroo exclaimed, kneeling down next to Iwaizumi and raising his arms toward the other man’s bicep. Bokuto joined in and kneeled down on the other side of Iwaizumi, mirroring Kuroo’s stance perfectly. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and stretched out both of his hands, flicking the two idiots perfectly in the centers of their foreheads and earning looks of dismay.

Kenma watched as the three men bickered in front of him, trying not to focus on the bad feeling he had in his gut that told him he didn’t know this version of Kuroo before him. Kenma decided to wander around the apartment, beginning to familiarize himself with the layout. 

Kenma found himself sitting on the couch, which had been left on the sidewalk in front of the apartment building by the professional movers, with his face buried in his PSP while the three larger men got to work moving all of his belongings inside. Kenma didn’t even move a muscle when he felt the couch being lifted up into the air and carried toward the apartment. 

Once the couch was placed in it’s rightful spot inside the apartment, Kuroo plopped down next to Kenma and stretched. Kenma set down his PSP and fidgeted with his hands in his lap, refusing to look in Kuroo’s direction.

“It looks like you’ve made some good friends here, Kuro.” Kenma said quietly, bumping the tips of his index fingers together. He was still unable to meet Kuroo’s confused gaze. 

“What do you mean?” Kuroo’s head cocked to the side, reminding Kenma of a certain owl-like man, who happened to be in the same room. 

“You’ve even become more like him.” It was just then that Kenma noticed that Kuroo was significantly more muscular, which he could only attribute to Kuroo and Iwaizumi’s time together at the gym. “Them, I mean.”

“Hey, kitten. I don’t know what you’re getting at but don't think like that. Let’s just focus on moving in so we can chill later.” Kuroo wrapped an arm around Kenma’s shoulders and squeezed, providing Kenma just the right amount of reassurance he needed to relax. Kuroo had been a constant in his life for as long as he knew himself, and he didn’t know why he thought that, even for a second, that would change.

Since the moment they met, Kuroo and Kenma were bound to be best friends. They didn’t immediately become friends, due to their contrasting personalities, but close proximity made it impossible not to be. After finding something they could do together, Kenma found himself enjoying their time together more and more. Kuroo managed to get Kenma into volleyball, and although Kenma enjoyed it and was good at it, he would have never started playing in high school if it wasn’t for Kuroo. He would never tell him that, though. 

One day in middle school, in the blistering heat of summer, Kuroo and Kenma lay on their backs, their heads close and bodies facing opposite directions. Sweat beaded at their foreheads and their hands were sticky with remnants of popsicles.

“One day when we get girlfriends we should go on a double date and go to the arcade or play volleyball to show off.”

Kuroo had always been a ladies’ man. Even in middle school, Kuroo had received multiple confessions and had ‘dated’ a number of girls. Kuroo was smart, funny, outgoing, athletic, and attractive, so this wasn’t surprising. Though none of his girlfriends really lasted long, so he ended up devoting himself to volleyball to fill the small void.

Kenma’s silence did not go unnoticed, and Kuroo sat up and leaned on his elbow to glance at the dark haired boy. Kenma stared at the sky, not daring to look in Kuroo’s direction.

“Okay.” Kenma said slowly.

“Okay? That’s not very reassuring, Kenma. What? Are you afraid I'll steal your girlfriend?”

“No. What if I...what if we never get girlfriends?”

Kuroo paused, he had not thought about that. 

“Hmm. Okay, I’ll tell you what...I, Kuroo Tetsurou, propose that if we both can’t get girlfriends, we’ll just marry each other.”

Kuroo stuck out his hand, intending to shake on it. Kenma looked him straight in the eye, hesitating to move even an inch, an unreadable expression on his face.

Kenma shook Kuroo’s hand.


	2. Saturday, August 19th

After the boys had successfully moved in the furniture and boxes, they proceeded to catch up and hang out. After about an hour, Kenma started to feel a bit overstimulated and wandered back to his room, where he began unpacking his boxes and placing them in his room. After setting up his bed and a few other things he plopped on his back staring at the ceiling. His life was changing a lot, and sometimes it felt like it was hard to keep up with. He pulled out his PSP in an attempt to escape digging any further into those thoughts. After all, it was too early to start overthinking.

Kuroo had noticed Kenma’s disappearance and immediately understood. After catching up with his friends he wandered over to Kenma’s room, his knuckles rapping against the white door of his room.

Kenma slowly opened the door, peering around Kuroo to see if the boys were still there.

“Oh. Did they leave?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry, I told them you were just tired.”

“Oh, okay. Thank you, Kuro.”

“Anytime, kitten. You wanna watch Markiplier?”

Kenma nodded.

They moved back into the living room, settling on the couch. The boys had set up the living room area, including the TV in which Kuroo was hastily logging into his youtube profile. Meanwhile, Kenma had grabbed a blanket and some snacks from the kitchen. They settled next to each other on the couch as Kuroo played a video. They both watched a couple videos, idly talking back and forth, but the fatigue from the day’s events started to sink in. Kuroo felt his eyelids begin to get heavy and allowed himself to give into exhaustion.

Kuroo’s eyes opened as he heard the door of their apartment unlock. Sachiko stood in front of their TV, hands on her hips, lips set in a furious line, and eyebrows raised as if she were preparing to scold a child.

“You didn’t call me or text me at all yesterday after that fight because you were busy coddling your friend. I was a mess the whole day and you probably didn’t even think about me. You’re not even paying attention to me right now! Are you kidding?” Sachiko’s voice became louder and angrier with each word she spat.

Kuroo placed his pointer finger in front of his mouth and whispered, “Shhh, Kenma’s asleep.”

Sachiko then looked at his friend. Kuroo was underneath Kenma, who’s entire body was wrapped around Kuroo’s lap. Kuroo’s hands did not move from their place around Kenma’s waist.

“Kuroo, you have never made sense to me, but now I think I’m starting to get it.”

Sachiko moved from her place in front of the TV and stormed out of their apartment. Kuroo, who barely spoke a sentence and was still half-asleep, could barely keep his eyes open. He decided to process this conversation later and shut his eyes again.

* * *

Kuroo jolted awake, glancing around the newly furnished apartment to find that the TV had turned off and, even more importantly, Kenma was asleep on his lap, curled up like a kitten. Kuroo couldn’t help but smile softly at how peaceful his best friend looked while he was asleep. Usually, Kenma wore a blank expression on his face, barring anyone from being able to tell what he was thinking, but while asleep, Kenma’s face gave away what kind of dream he was having.

Kuroo had picked up on the different facial expressions Kenma would make in his sleep over their plentiful years of friendship and sleep overs. If Kenma’s thin eyebrows were creased together and his lips drawn into a straight and painful line, Kuroo would know he was having a bad dream and pull him closer, hoping to fend off the monsters that haunted him If Kenma’s eyebrows were relaxed and there was a soft upward curve to his lips, Kuroo would know Kenma was having a nice dream and could leave him in peace. Sometimes his name would escape Kenma’s lips, and judging by whatever face the golden-haired boy would be making, Kuroo would know whether to avoid bothering Kenma when he woke up, or to commence the usual tomfoolery.

Tonight, Kenma’s eyebrows were relaxed and his lips confirmed that he was having a nice dream, allowing Kuroo to allow himself to try and slide himself out from underneath Kenma. But, of course, Kuroo is only human, so he got distracted by the rise and fall of Kenma’s chest, the way that stray strands of Kenma’s golden hair would sway whenever Kenma exhaled, the occasional noises that Kenma would make in his sleep. Everything that Kenma did and everything that Kenma was had always fascinated Kuroo.

A slight shiver from the man in his lap broke Kuroo out of his trance and he peered down to see what was going on. Kenma burrowed further into Kuroo’s lap and shivered once more, pulling at Kuroo’s heart strings just a little.

Kuroo made quick and cautious work of gently cradling Kenma’s head in his hands while he slid out from under him and placed his head back on the couch where it had once been. As Kuroo crept down the hallway toward his room to grab an extra blanket for his best friend, he stopped in his tracks when he heard his name.

“Yes, kitten?” He asked quietly, shifting his gaze so that he could look at Kenma directly.

“Where are you going?”

“Just gonna go grab you a blanket, then I’ll be right back. Go back to sleep.”

Kenma blinked and rubbed his eyes before sitting up.

“Will you stay?”

“Wha—”

“Will you sleep on the couch, too?” Kenma asked, his bleary eyes boring holes into Kuroo’s very soul.

“Sure.” Kuroo smiled lazily before turning and keeping his promise to return with a blanket.

When he did return, Kenma was already fast asleep and still shivering, but he had made room on the couch for Kuroo to lay down. Kuroo obliged and carefully placed himself between the back cushions of the couch and Kenma’s small, shivering body before throwing the extra blanket over the both of them and scooting closer to him for warmth.

* * *

“Iwa-chan!” The toss went up perfectly, as usual, and Iwaizumi swung his arms back to propel himself into the air, grinning when he felt his palm hit the ball cleanly as it flew to the other side of the net, landing in the back corner where it should be. He turned to his setter.

“Stop saying my name, Shittykawa, we’re the only ones here.” He earned a sly grin from the chocolate-haired man and immediately felt his blood pressure rise.

“C’mon, Iwa-chan, you know you love it when I scream your—” Oikawa could not finish his sentence as he had been smacked on the back of his head by his best friend and roommate, Iwaizumi Hajime.

“Just set the ball, setter.” Iwaizumi challenged, tossing another volleyball at Oikawa, who pouted at his spiker but obeyed him, nonetheless. The set was just high enough and just close enough to the net for Iwaizumi to slap it straight down on the other side of the net, causing both men to smile with satisfaction at their perfect teamwork.

It was a shame that Oikawa couldn’t play volleyball competitively anymore. And due to that fact, Iwaizumi had decided to stop playing as well. After all, what was a spiker without his setter?

“I wanna hit now, but make sure to not give me any shitty sets, I expect nothing less from the best friend of a perfect setter.” Oikawa winked and tossed a ball to Iwaizumi while Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and got ready to set. Oikawa spread his fingertips as he flung his arms behind him to give him the power to jump as high as he could before he smashed the ball down right inside the line.

 _What a beautiful line shot_. Iwaizumi looked on as the ball barely missed the line and bounced back up, higher than Oikawa had jumped.

Oikawa landed and threw Iwaizumi a proud look and stuck his tongue out, as if to say _I can do your job better than you can_.

Oikawa tossed Iwaizumi another ball and began his run-up, but was stopped short by a bolt of pain that traveled throughout his body.

“Ack!” Oikawa’s right knee gave out and Iwaizumi rushed to support the setter before he could hit the ground. He slung Oikawa’s arm over his neck and wrapped his own arm around Oikawa’s waist as he searched Oikawa’s face for any indication of extreme pain or weakness. But the same, stupid smile that Iwaizumi loved to hate and hated to love was still smeared across Oikawa’s stupid lips.

“Thank you, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa said softly, slowly putting his full weight on his knee, careful not to do anything too drastic. Iwaizumi watched on in concern, refusing to let go of his friend’s waist. He sighed. He’d always be too soft to ignore this fool.

“Oi, Tooru, let’s go get something to eat.”

“Oh? ‘Tooru’? Iwa-chan, don’t be going soft on me now. We still have plenty of time to keep playing!” Oikawa chuckled, making a move to break away from Iwaizumi’s hold and grab the ball he had failed to spike. However, Iwaizumi’s hold was strong and Oikawa was unable to leave Iwaizumi’s side.

“Idiot. I’m just hungry. Plus, classes start tomorrow. Don’t you have an 8 AM?”

“Ugh, I forgot. Algebra. What idiot signed me up for a class that early, anyway?”

“The idiot that thinks he should still play when he’s got an 8 AM tomorrow.” Iwaizumi retorted. Oikawa chuckled again.

“Alright, Iwa-chan. Let’s go get something to eat.” Oikawa relented, tightening his hold on Iwaizumi’s shoulder with the arm he had around his neck and letting himself be walked out of the gym. “Just promise me we won’t get ramen. I don’t need to smell your explosive diarrhea at one in the morning.”

Iwaizumi used his free arm to flick Oikawa in the forehead. If he did happen to have explosive diarrhea later that night and Oikawa would just so happen to smell it, it was well deserved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: @coocoocatchoo @killuagone


	3. Monday, August 21st

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning, this is a really long chapter but THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING :)))

Kuroo exhaled loudly and shoved his hands in his back pockets as he approached Sachiko’s dorm building. He had not talked to her much since they fought on Friday, and they hadn’t spoken about the incident on Sunday night, but Kuroo was willing to put all of that behind him and continue being the good boyfriend he knew he was. 

Last year, he would pick her up from her dorm and walk with her to her first class of the day, every day, and he figured it would make things with Sachiko even worse to stop the tradition. Kuroo liked her, he really did, but their most recent fight hadn’t been their first; Sachiko had a wild temper, and she rarely stuck around to talk things out--she always seemed to get overwhelmed with emotion and leave until she felt better. He didn’t blame her, though, fighting while extremely angry could cause someone to say something they’d regret. 

Kuroo forced the lump in his throat down as his knuckles rapped against the front door of his girlfriend’s dorm. He could hear a door shut inside the dorm and inhaled sharply as he heard the front door unbolt. Sachiko opened the door slightly, leaving only a crack between the door and the wall.

“I didn’t expect you to show up today, Kuroo.” She said quietly, seemingly bashful at her behavior over the past couple of days.

“Of course I’d show up, babe.” Kuroo leaned against the door frame and flashed her a smile, feeling a weight lift off of his shoulders when she reciprocated. It wasn’t a genuine smile, not unlike the smiles he’d seen her wear around people she didn’t prefer to hang out with, but it was a start. Sachiko disappeared back inside of her dorm for a moment before reappearing with her backpack, locking the door, and linking her arm through Kuroo’s.

“Let’s go, then!” It seemed as if Sachiko’s cheery attitude, the one that had caught Kuroo’s attention in the first place, had returned. 

The walk to Sachiko’s class was silent, except for the occasional small talk about school or gossip concerning Sachiko’s friends. 

Once they reached the building that housed Sachiko’s class, Sachiko pulled her arm away from Kuroo’s and turned to face him; Kuroo averted his gaze to the sky, a light blush creeping up his neck and threatening to show itself on his face. _What the hell is she doing?_

“Kuroo.” Sachiko’s gaze made Kuroo feel like the sun was shining directly on him, and he felt sweat starting to form at the edge of his hairline. 

“Sachiko.” Kuroo laughed lightly, trying to brighten the mood. He knew that every time Sachiko called him by his last name she was pissed at him for something.

“We need to talk about your friend.” 

“Who, Kenma?” Kuroo scratched the back of his head, still unable to meet his girlfriend’s gaze.

“Yeah...you two seem really close.” Sachiko rocked back and forth on her toes. “You care for him quite a lot.” 

“Yeah, he’s my best friend.”

“It seems like you care for him more than me.” Sachiko’s tone was slowly melting into something more accusatory, and Kuroo did not like where this was going.

He didn’t have a response for her.

“Wow, I should have known. You really let me bring up marriage, huh? How humiliating.”

“Okay, but I didn’t even know you were hinting at marriage. Kenma’s the one who told me that that’s what you meant!” 

“You told him about our fight? About our private conversation?” Sachiko was yelling now, and students were taking out their headphones and craning their necks to watch. Kuroo put his hands on both of Sachiko’s shoulders and tried to tug her to somewhere a little more private. Sachiko slapped his hands away. “Don’t touch me!”

Kuroo backed away, his eyes wide with shock at Sachiko’s behavior. 

“What was I supposed to do? You were mad and Kenma was there for me!” Kuroo balled his fingers into a fist to will himself to not shout at Sachiko and draw more attention. 

“Well, maybe now that Kenma’s here, you don’t need me anymore!”

Kuroo’s expression softened and became something closer to worry, but desperation flooded his sight and he began to walk toward her. She put her hand out to stop him, her fingers splayed against his chest. Her touch seemed so familiar, something that Kuroo had valued once--but strangely not anymore.

“I’m serious, Kuroo. If you can’t handle having a best friend and a girlfriend at the same time, then maybe you shouldn’t have a girlfriend.” Sachiko sighed and looked up into Kuroo’s eyes. “We’re through.” 

And with that, Sachiko turned around and walked to her classroom as if nothing had happened. The students around Kuroo plugged their headphones back in and continued mulling around as they had been.

* * *

Kenma awoke to his alarm blaring at seven in the morning, faint streams of sunlight seeping in from his blinds. He rolled out of bed, staring at the floor for an extended amount of time. Today was his first day of college. He could not tell if he was excited or nervous, perhaps a bit of both. Anxiety started to bubble in his stomach as he reached the bathroom. He brushed his teeth while simultaneously trying to fix the mess on his head, which stuck out in all directions. He pulled on an oversized hoodie, dug through his drawers for some shorts, and slipped into his vans. He then grabbed his stuff before darting out of the apartment and towards campus.

He put on his headphones and looked at the school’s map on his phone, making his way towards campus. He arrived at a large building in which many people were entering, he felt his hands start to sweat and thoughts began to flood his mind. He ignored them and walked into the building. Once inside, he found his lecture hall, which happened to be one of the biggest classrooms. It made sense, just about everyone took college algebra. He walked about half way down the steps and sat in the first chair in the row. His headphones continued to blast music as he anxiously checked the time and classroom once again to make sure he was in the right place. He sat there and scrolled for a few minutes waiting for class to begin.

He heard people talking and settling into place all around him, but focused only on his phone. He heard talking begin to get louder, but chose to ignore it. He thought he heard someone say his name and then he felt someone tap on his shoulder.

He turned his head to see a tall man with fluffy brown hair and a large smile plastered on his face.

“Pudding-chan!!” The man waved at Kenma.

Kenma had no idea who this man was.

He took out his headphones and looked at him, wondering who he was and how he knew him.

“Oh! Um, you’ve probably heard of me, I’m Oikawa Tooru, I set for Aoba Johsai in high school.”

Kenma blinked at him, no signs of recognition showing on his face. Kenma recognized the people he had played in matches, but even then he would never approach them off of the court. But he could not even recognize this man.

“You haven’t seen me on magazines or anything? I’ve seen you play at nationals and I’ve heard of Nekoma. You really haven’t even heard of me?”

Kenma feigned thinking and turned back to him. “Uh, yeah I’ve probably heard of you...that’s cool.”

Oikawa seemed a bit disappointed and plopped down in the seat next to him. He whipped out his phone, determined to make Kenma at least recognize him. After showing him countless photos, it was a photo of him and Iwaizumi that finally sparked some recognition.

“Oh, you played with Iwaizumi-san. Now I think I know who you are.”

“Iwa-chan is beating me even when he’s not here.” Oikawa murmured under his breath, feigning disappointment. 

“Sure, I played with Iwa-chan. But I was also featured on the cover of Ikemen volleyball magazine, and I received the best setter award.” 

“That’s nice, Oikawa-san.” Kenma replied, pulling out his notebook. Oikawa was a bit stunned that Kenma had not even heard of him but quickly recovered, making idle chat with Kenma about volleyball and their former teammates. 

People began to fill the seats surrounding them and the professor began class, going over the syllabus as Oikawa and Kenma scribbled in their notebooks. An hour and fifteen minutes later, their class was let out and they began to collect their belongings. Kenma tried to leave the classroom quickly but Oikawa followed him out.

“Pudding-chan, we should be friends since you know Iwa-chan. Ooh, we should study together! How good are you at algebra?” Oikawa asked him as they walked together.

“You know my name is Kenma, right? And sure I’m good at it I guess.” Kenma replied.

“Okay, Pudding-chan. You don’t have another class right now, right? Great, we should go to the cafe on campus.” Oikawa responded, directing Kenma the opposite way in which he was going. Oikawa was set on them being friends, and Kenma was not too sure why.

* * *

After Oikawa incessantly bothered Kenma about his life while at the cafe, he managed to make it through two more classes without any other unexpected encounters. He began to make his way back to their apartment around four in the afternoon.

Kenma arrived at their apartment, slowly opening the door and wondering if Kuroo was home yet.

He was not.

Kenma went to his room, dropping his backpack on the floor, and jumped face down onto his bed. He rested there for a few minutes, thinking about his day until sleep took over him.

When he woke up, Kenma could hear the TV softly playing from the living room while a strong smell filled the apartment. He crawled out of his bed, noting that a blanket had been placed on his sleeping body. He glanced at his phone which read 7 PM and threw it back onto the bed. He opened his door, his hands rising to his face to shield his eyes from the bright lights of the kitchen. Kuroo’s back was towards him as he scrubbed at pans, muttering to himself. Kenma stepped out of his room and realized there was so much food he could not help but let out a quiet laugh.

Kuroo glanced over his shoulder when he heard him, his face softening and his body visibly relaxing upon seeing Kenma.

“Oh, good morning, Kenma. Uhh, so I went a little overboard.” Kuroo teased.

“Kuro, you and I both know you only cook when you’re overthinking. What happened?” Kenma asked, leaning against the counter top.

Kuroo finished cleaning up, leaning against the cabinets of their kitchen. “I just...Sachiko broke up with me.”

Kenma raised his eyebrows but remained silent, encouraging Kuroo to explain.

“I know that it’s my fault, and I feel terrible about it. Like, there’s things I could have done better. I could have made it work, but I didn’t and I don’t know why. I should really feel worse about this. I’m obviously hurt, but I feel like I’m gonna miss the relationship more than I’m gonna miss her. I should have seen this coming and fixed it. Guess I was a shitty boyfriend.”

“Kuro, you’re not a shitty anything, and you obviously were not on the same page regarding your relationship. She wanted things you didn’t, and that’s not your fault. If she’s going to leave you for that, then she’s the one missing out.”

“So, you think I should just let her go?”

“Kuro, I think you know the answer to that.”

Kenma walked towards Kuroo and hugged him, his arms reaching around Kuroo’s torso. Kuroo hugged him back, cradling his head.

“You’re a really good friend, Kenma.”

Kenma’s smile slipped off of his face as he was reminded that Kuroo would always only think of him that way, a friend.

“Thanks, Kuro.”

“Wanna eat and watch a movie?” Kuroo asked. Kenma let out a sound against his chest in agreement.

They proceeded to eat Kuroo’s five-course meal, and headed to Kuroo’s room, as they were bound to fall asleep during the movie.

After Kuroo started the movie, Kenma climbed into his bed and was now extremely aware of Kuroo’s closeness. He reminded himself not to read too much into it since he and Kuroo had always been this close. Kuroo’s failed relationship had no impact on their relationship. He tried to focus on the movie, but his mind kept wandering to the raven-haired boy beside him. Once sleep started to fog his mind, he felt himself curl into a ball, an arm pulling him closer.

* * *

“Akaashi!” Bokuto whined, banging his fists against his desk. The lack of response from his boyfriend sent Bokuto into an even deeper despair.

“Why is no one answering me?” Bokuto whimpered to no one in particular. Akaashi sighed and looked up from his Ethics syllabus, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“Bokuto-san—”

“Why do you still call me that? We’ve literally been dating for almost two years.” Bokuto said in the same pathetic voice he’d been using to complain all night. It had started when he received a text from Kuroo about Sachiko breaking up with him. Of course, Bokuto was concerned about his best bro and texted back immediately, asking Kuroo if he was okay and if he wanted to hang out and talk about it. That was eight hours ago. It was now 10 PM and Bokuto had still not received a response, even when he sent a million follow up texts.

> **bo** **(3:03 PM)** bro are u good ?
> 
> **bo (3:47 PM)** bro pls
> 
> **bo (4:21 PM)** omg bro it was 4:20 + u didn’t even wish me happy 4:20 where r u ????!!!!
> 
> **bo (5:20 PM)** bro im rly started 2 get scared
> 
> **bo (6:12 PM)** kuroo pls dont b dead i need u
> 
> **bo (6:13 PM)** who else will i call when i need advice ???
> 
> **bo (6:14 PM)** who else’s ass will i beat @ DDR ????

Bokuto checked his phone once and let his forehead hit his desk when he saw that there were no new messages. He heard Akaashi’s soft footsteps on the carpet and looked up, meeting the stormy eyes of his boyfriend. Akaashi laid a hand on his back and rested his head on Bokuto’s shoulder, breathing in his scent.

“Koutarou, what’s wrong?” 

Bokuto shivered; it was always unexpected when Akaashi called him by his first name, he’d usually only do it when he asked or when they were messing ar—

“Are you going to answer?” 

“Tetsu-kun hasn’t answered me and it’s been, like, eight hours! I think he’s dead.” Bokuto covered his face with his hands and frowned even deeper. Akaashi began to rub Bokuto’s back in an effort to comfort the sulking wing spiker.

“Why don’t you go visit him? Make sure he’s okay?” Akaashi suggested softly. Bokuto jumped up from his chair, clocking Akaashi in the chin with his shoulder in the process. Bokuto turned around instantly and cradled Akaashi’s head in his hands, spitting out a string of apologies as he rubbed his boyfriend’s chin in an effort to ease the pain. 

“Kou, it’s okay. Just go see Kuroo, I’m worried about him too, you know.” Akaashi grimaced as he cupped his chin after waving Bokuto’s hands away. 

Bokuto sprang to his feet and ran out of their room before returning with an ice pack and placing it gingerly on his lover’s chin and placing a quick kiss to his cheek. “I’ll be back in a flash!” 

Akaashi chuckled softly at his eccentric boyfriend and sighed when he heard the front door shut. _Be safe, you idiot._

Five minutes. Five minutes was all it took for Bokuto to run across campus and across the street to where Kuroo and Kenma had just moved. He stood in front of his best friend’s door, hunched over and breathing heavily, worry flooding his very being. The lights were on, meaning _someone_ was home, but Kuroo just wasn’t answering. 

_Is he mad at me? Is he ignoring me? Or maybe someone’s holding him hostage in his own home?_ Bokuto’s heart clenched at his last thought and he pulled out his trusty bobby pin, the one kept for occasions just like this one. Bokuto had been locked out of his apartment more times than he could count. 

The grey-haired man made quick work of the deadbolt and stepped into the quiet apartment.

“Kuroo!” Bokuto called, surveying the empty living room. He then moved to the hallway and picked up on some slight movement in Kuroo’s bedroom.

 _I knew it! Kuroo’s being held hostage!_ Bokuto swung open the door to Kuroo’s bedroom, ready to fight to the death for his best friend, but immediately covered his mouth with both of his hands when he laid eyes on two sleeping kittens. There Kuroo was, asleep and very alive, with an arm bent behind his head and Kenma curled into his side. Bokuto slowly backed out of the room and shut the door behind him, thanking his lucky stars that both of his friends were heavy sleepers before making his escape out of the front door and across campus, back to Akaashi.

“What’s wrong, Ko?” Akaashi had been waiting on the couch in the living room by the door when Bokuto returned to their shared apartment. Bokuto was silent as he locked the door behind him and made his way over to where Akaashi was sitting, throwing himself face first into Akaashi’s lap.

“I think Kuroo Tetsurou and Kozume Kenma are gay.” Bokuto said quietly, his voice muffled by Akaashi’s sweatshirt. Akaashi ran his fingers through Bokuto's soft, grey hair and smiled, feeling bad for him. His innocent boyfriend always seemed to pick up on things too little, too late.


	4. Thursday, August 31st

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you guys so much for reading !! we cherish your comments :3

The week continued on, the usual shenanigans progressed, and Kuroo began to move on from Sachiko. He began to think that his breakup with Sachiko may have been for the best. Sachiko made him happy, but being able to do what he wanted without worrying about what Sachiko would think or say took quite a weight off of his shoulders. He felt free to be himself, and after nights of reflection, he started to feel happy again. That Thursday morning, Kuroo found himself getting ready to go to the gym. He and Iwaizumi had made it a tradition to work out every Tuesday and Thursday together, but they had skipped Tuesday since classes had just begun and everyone was busy. Though thoughts continued to swirl in his head, he pushed them aside and made his way to the gym.

“Iwa!” Kuroo greeted, waving at Iwaizumi.

“Please don’t call me that, I do not need Oikawa’s nickname for me following me around.” Iwaizumi groaned, returning the greeting.

“Okay, I gotchu, Iwajumi.”

Iwaizumi groaned again, “I don't know why I’m even friends with you guys.”

Kuroo chuckled, setting down his stuff as the two began to warm up. 

A couple of girls lingered around them, noting that the two attractive boys were working out together. Some gazes lingered on them, which made Kuroo feel good. It had been a while since he had received such attention from girls. He looked over at Iwaizumi and stood at a distance between him and a girl.

“Haji, don’t look now but the girl behind me, and I cannot stress this enough, will not stop looking over here.”

Iwaizumi’s eyes fleeted towards the girl, who had in fact been looking their way. She averted her eyes when he met her gaze.

“That's cool, are you gonna go talk to her?” Iwaizumi asked, not bothering to even pause his workout.

“Bro, she’s looking at you not me.”

Color flooded Iwaizumi’s face as he looked at the girl again. She was an attractive girl, and he was beyond flattered. She seemed nice and all, but Iwaizumi was simply not interested.

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh. Dude, you should really hit that. You’ve seemed mad stressed out lately. Go blow off some steam with her.”

Iwaizumi’s cheeks once again tinted pink at Kuroo’s insinuation. 

“Uh, I think i’m good.”

“Oh, come on, Iwaizumi, why not? At least talk to her, maybe you could end up dating or something.” Kuroo replied, trying to convince his friend to at least speak to the girl.

“No, that would never work.”

“Why not? You’re an attractive dude and she’s obviously interested.”

“It just wouldn’t, leave it.”

“Iwaizumi, why are you being so weird about this?”

Kuroo looked at him with overwhelming curiosity, as Iwaizumi seemed to become more and more annoyed by the second.

“I’m in love with someone, okay? Talking to someone like that wouldn’t be fair to any of us.”

Kuroo’s eyebrows raised. He genuinely had no idea Iwaizumi even liked anyone, let alone was in love. He wasn’t even dating anyone. 

“If you don’t mind me asking, who? And why aren’t you guys together?”

“He doesn’t like boys.” Iwaizumi said, not daring to look at Kuroo.

Kuroo did not know Iwaizumi liked boys either. It seemed like all of his friends did though, except for Kenma.

“Do you actually know that? Or are you just assuming?” Kuroo prodded, trying to aid Iwaizumi’s love life in any way that he could.

“I just...know.”

“Interesting, but I get the feeling you may be wrong.” Iwaizumi rolled his eyes at Kuroo’s response, not responding in an attempt to leave the conversation there. Unfortunately, Kuroo would be having none of that.

“C’moooon, Iwaizumi, who are you in love with? Tell me. Tell your best friend, Kuroo, about your feelings.” Iwaizumi stared at him blankly.

“I cannot believe you haven’t told me yet, I can totally set you guys up, I can be your wingman! You know I’m good at that.” Kuroo begged, beginning to invade Iwaizumi’s personal space.

Iwaizumi looked at him for a moment, wondering if telling him would be something he would regret. He and Kuroo were indeed close friends, but this was something he had told no one. 

“Oikawa.” Iwaizumi mumbled, putting down a weight.

“Who?”

“You heard me.”

Kuroo sat down next to Iwaizumi, facing the opposite direction and staring vacantly at the white wall before him. The situation suddenly seemed to become more serious, Kuroo had just found out he liked boys and that he was in love with a guy he seemingly could not stand. He knew who Oikawa was, Iwaizumi had spoken about him and the guy was well known in the volleyball community, but he had never met him. Kuroo knew he was a great volleyball player, with a not so great reputation. Kuroo had only heard rumors about Oikawa and his girlfriends, but Oikawa was always made out to be a player of sorts. Kuroo had always thought he was just a selfish jock that only cared about sports and girls.

_ Oh. That suddenly makes more sense. _

Even though he had realized all of these things, he still did not understand why Iwaizumi liked him, or even loved him.

“Oh. I understand now. I obviously don’t know him like you do, but are you sure he doesn’t like boys? He’s a pretty boy, you never know.”

“I… don’t think so.” Iwaizumi replied, ignoring Kuroo’s attempt at keeping the conversation light-hearted.

“Well, you don’t actually know, Haji. So don’t count yourself out just yet.”

Iwaizumi looked him in the eyes before laughing to himself and resuming his workout.

It seemed all of Kuroo’s friends were in love with their childhood friends. Actually, now that he thought about it, just about every volleyball team he knew had a captain who was in love with his childhood best friend.

His mind suddenly lingered to Kenma, who was his own childhood best friend. He was also his setter for as long as he could remember. Kenma, who had been there throughout everything. Kenma, who was his best friend.

But, it was just a thought. Kuroo had fleeting thoughts like that all of the time, so he pushed them to the back of his mind like he usually did, and carried on with his day.

* * *

“Good afternoon, Kuroo-san.” Akaashi greeted, tossing a volleyball at Kuroo as soon as Kuroo entered the gym. Kuroo quickly reached up to block the ball from hitting in the face and breathed out a laugh.

“Good morning to you, too, Akaashi.” Kuroo dribbled the ball and shot it at Bokuto, who made a hoop for the ball with his arms. The two fist bumped once the ball went through Bokuto’s arms. 

Between his gym sessions with Iwaizumi and volleyball practice with Bokuto and Akaashi, Kuroo had started to feel like his old self again—no more thinking or feeling guilty about Sachiko.

“So, what happened with you last night, bro?” Bokuto asked, rocking back and forth on his toes.

“Oh, sorry, dude. I saw all of your texts when I woke up this morning.”

“With Kenma?” Bokuto asked, meanwhile Akaashi pinched him lightly on the elbow, causing him to jump back and yelp. Kuroo raised an eyebrow.

“Bokuto-san, you can’t be so forward with people when you want answers from them.” Akaashi scolded, earning a small glare from his boyfriend. 

“Bo, what do you mean?” Kuroo pressed.

“Well,” Bokuto began to tap the tips of his index fingers together and avoid Kuroo’s pointed gaze, “I can explain.” 

“Bokuto-san went to your apartment yesterday when you wouldn’t answer his texts and saw you cuddling with Kenma-san.” Akaashi cut in. 

“What about not being so forward, Akaashi?” 

“We do that all the time, what about it?” Kuroo crossed his arms in front of his chest and shifted his weight from leg to leg. 

“Isn’t that a little...intimate for two friends?” Akaashi suggests. Bokuto nods enthusiastically.

“We’re best friends. Plus, we slept in the same bed all the time in high school. It’s really not that big of a deal.”

“But the day that your girlfriend breaks up with you, you’re cuddling with your  _ best friend _ ? I don’t buy it, dude.” Bokuto added, looking quite proud of himself. Kuroo scratched the back of his head, trying to think of what his two friends could be getting at.

“Exactly. I’ve seen the way you look at Kenma, and Sachiko never got that kind of attention. Maybe that’s why she dumped you.” Akaashi said, destroying Kuroo’s last shred of dignity. So what if she broke up with him because of Kenma? She was always mad at him for something anyway. It hadn’t always been about Kenma.

Except it had. Kuroo would often excuse himself from dates if Kenma called him or needed to talk. Kuroo would turn down road trips or festivals with Sachiko on the weekends to drive home and see Kenma. Whenever Kenma needed him, Kuroo had been there.

_ But he’s my best friend. People are there for their best friends. _ He smiled at the thought of his best friend curled up in his lap like a kitten.  _ He’s so— _

Kuroo rolled his eyes, shook his head to clear his mind, and continued to make his way toward the locker room to prepare for volleyball practice. Bokuto and Akaashi had known him and Kuroo since high school, they’d seen how they act around each other. Why was this suddenly a whole thing? 

Kuroo quickly pulled on his knee pads and his volleyball shoes before heading back out to the gym. Bokuto and Akaashi were waiting right outside of the locker room when he emerged.

“What exactly do you two lovebirds want? A third? Sorry, I’m not interested.” Kuroo ignored Bokuto’s confusion and Akaashi’s glare as he made his way over to the volleyball cart and began to decide which ball he would use today.

“Kuroo-san, we truly just want you to be happy—”

“I’m perfectly fine!” Kuroo was balancing the volleyball on his index finger and gave it a spin. Akaashi just raised his eyebrows and shrugged, leaving the black-haired middle blocker alone. Kuroo started warming up with serves, chatting with a few of his teammates, excluding Bokuto. 

He was glad that Akaashi had dropped the subject altogether, but Bokuto sat against the wall of the gym, taking swigs from his water bottle and seemingly deep in thought.

Later, after practice had ended, Bokuto approached Kuroo cautiously, putting Kuroo on edge. Whenever Bokuto became cautious, it meant he was about to say something he should not say.

“Bro, I wanted to ask…” Bokuto paused and looked at his feet, “how come we don’t cuddle?” 

Kuroo bit back a grin and choked on his laughter. This guy was just too much for him sometimes.

“Because you’re in a relationship, dude! Akaashi would absolutely murder me if he caught us all snuggled up.”

“You were, too.”

“What?”

“You were in a relationship, too. But you still cuddled Kenma.” 

“I, uh, like being the big spoon.” Kuroo answered lamely. Bokuto seemed satisfied with his answer and returned to his normal self, waving goodbye to Kuroo before joining Akaashi as he ran to the locker room.

Kuroo sighed. He’d never thought of that.


	5. Friday, September 8th

“Pudding-chan!” Kenma’s eyes quickly searched the lecture hall for the high-pitched, excited voice that had called him. He spotted Oikawa, as vibrant as ever, with his hand high in the air and waving at him from their usual seats.

“I thought I told you to stop calling me that.” Kenma shouldered off his backpack and waited for Oikawa to move his bag from the seat next to him. Kenma’s mind left the present and wandered to a certain time in the past where Kuroo would save him a seat during lunch time. Nekoma’s cafeteria got hectic on chicken katsudon days.

“Yeah, but it fits you so well! How can I resist?” Oikawa grinned at Kenma as he sat down in the seat he had saved for him. 

It turns out that Kenma did not mind Oikawa at all. He was kind, when he wanted to be, and didn’t let things be awkward. He was a bit nosy and clingy, but Kenma did not mind since Oikawa talked enough for the both of them.

A little thing that Kenma noticed about Oikawa was that Oikawa doodled in the corners of his notebook but still managed to catch everything the professor said. Kenma struggled the tiniest bit with keeping up himself, and he often wondered how Oikawa was able to understand the concepts but also create such a cute little alien in the top right corner of his notebook.

One thing Oikawa had noticed about Kenma was that Kenma would often play with his hair when deep in thought or anxious. He noticed that when the professor would mention that a certain topic would be on the next quiz, Kenma would capture a lock of his hair between his fingers and get to twirling while staring intently at the board. Oikawa thought it was cute.

Soon enough, their professor had started to wrap up the class. Kenma quickly packed up his things, anticipating leaving class as soon as possible, while Oikawa once again followed closely behind him. Kenma never waited for Oikawa when leaving the lecture hall, but had started to assume he would follow, as he did after every lecture. As they walked side-by-side, Oikawa glanced over at Kenma, a smile on his face.

“Wanna get breakfast, pudding-chan? Looks like you could use some food.”

Kenma glared in his direction, but did not answer.

Oikawa would take that as yes.

* * *

Once they arrived at the restaurant, a short, brown haired girl led them to a booth, her eyes never leaving Oikawa. Oikawa winked at her as they settled into the booth. Kenma grew more uncomfortable at their actions, a slight blush splayed on his cheeks as he hid his face in the suddenly interesting menu.

“What’s up with you? Embarrassed to be seen with me?” Oikawa teased, leaning forward while cradling his own face.

Kenma’s face grew warmer but he forced himself to look at Oikawa, “Maybe, but not for any reason you’re thinking.”

Oikawa pouted crossing arms, “Pudding-chan, you’re so mean! I invite you to get breakfast with me and you’re already bullying me.”

“Only because you make it so easy to hurt your feelings.” Kenma replied, looking back towards the menu.

“I am truly hurt by your words.”

Another girl approached their table, and Oikawa once again brightened up. 

“Hi! My name is Mariko, I’ll be your waitress today, are you guys ready to order or do you need more time?” She asked, beaming at them.

Oikawa, who hadn’t even attempted to look at the menu, replied instantly. “Hmm, what do you recommend, Mariko?”

Kenma stopped paying attention to their conversation and instead focused on how Oikawa seemed like he was constantly playing a character. He had no idea how he always turned on this flirty and teasing persona. Oikawa was oddly calculated, even in daily interactions. He did not like how often he noticed Oikawa studying him. He was interrupted when they both turned to look at him.

“Oh, uh, I’ll have french toast and uhh,” he struggled to look through the menu that he had been technically reading the whole time since he got there, “and a hot chocolate.” 

“Perfect! I’ll have that right up for you guys.” She replied, heading off towards the kitchen.

“You're so weird sometimes, Ken-chan.” Oikawa laughed at him.

Kenma did not reply, instead, he opted to look out the window towards people who continued to walk past.

“Okay, well, since you’re obviously making me work to get to know you, tell me a bit about when you played volleyball.” Oikawa sighed, leaning back to stare at him.

“Uh, I don’t know, I really only started playing volleyball because Kuroo made me. I was too short to play most positions, so Kuroo had me try being a setter. I guess it stuck.”

“Who’s Kuroo? That guy on your team that somehow looks like a bird but also a cat?”

Kenma laughed, nodding, “Yeah, him. I’ve known him since we were kids and he got me into it.”

“Interesting. So, you like volleyball, right?”

“It’s...fun, I guess. I like the strategy aspect of it, sometimes it feels like a video game or something.” Kenma replied.

“So you play for strategy? Or because your friend made you?”

“No, I play for fun. Kuroo didn’t make me, he just got me started. I continued because I wanted to.”

Oikawa had already told Kenma all about how and why he played volleyball. Kenma had mostly just nodded his head to show that he was listening, and had let Oikawa do most of the talking. Oikawa was okay with that. Oikawa, once hearing a bit more about Kenma and his experience with volleyball began to ramble on again about high school, and how we would’ve gone pro if it wasn’t for his knee.

“...seeing Karasuno play Shiratorizawa was honestly the worst thing I’ve ever seen. I cannot decide which team annoys me more. Either one winning would have hurt my feelings anyway.”

Kenma decided to start paying attention when he heard the name Karasuno. “Why don’t you like Karasuno?”

“Honestly, it’s because Tobio-chan thinks he’s better than me and it absolutely drives me crazy. He thinks him and Chibi-chan are all that when they’ve simply just been lucky.”

“Who’s Tobio-chan and Chibi-chan?”

“The setter and the little orange-haired one?”

“Oh! You mean Kageyama and Shouyo.”

Oikawa feigned being hurt, “You’re telling me you know the names of those two, but did not even recognize me? Are you okay, Ken-chan?”

“I guess I just pay more attention to the people I play.”

“Yes, it is clear that you can be very distracted.”

Their food arrived and they ate in comfortable silence. Once, when they made eye contact, Oikawa winked at him, causing Kenma to choke on his food. Oikawa thoroughly enjoyed that, barking out a laugh as Kenma chugged some of his hot chocolate. 

“You’re so cute when you blush, Ken-chan.”

“Whatever.” Kenma grumbled, reaching for his hot chocolate once again.

“I’d like to play against you one day, Pudding-chan.”

“How would we even do that? Also, haven’t you already seen me play? Doesn’t seem completely fair.”

“We could probably both gather some friends to play a small match, I just think it would be fun to play against you.”

“Sure.” Kenma agreed, wanting to drop the subject. He had no intention of going through with it, but knew that it was best to just agree with Oikawa, since he would pester him until he got what he wanted.

They paid for their meals and began to make their way out of the restaurant, back towards campus.

“So, where are you headed now?” Oikawa asked, his fingers laced together behind his head and his elbows jutting out toward the sky. Kenma checked his phone to confirm that he did in fact have another class in fifteen minutes.

“I have Intro to Digital Media in fifteen minutes.” Kenma said, eyes skimming over the campus’ map on his phone as he searched for the building he was supposed to be in. Oikawa checked his watch.

“My roommate won’t be home for another two hours, so I’ll come with you.” Oikawa decided, leaning close to Kenma so he could get a better view of the map. “Which building are you looking for?” 

“MED 15.” Kenma was surprised when Oikawa locked his phone for him and grabbed his free hand, leading him in the direction that he assumed the building was in. Kenma bristled at the physical contact with this new friend—the only person he ever let touch him was Kuroo, besides his parents of course. 

Kenma still didn’t mind, though, since it’d be a pain to have to wander around campus trying to find the building that he’d been in multiple times already. It was just easier to have a second year as a friend who seemingly knew where he was going.

Oikawa chatted about nothing in particular as the two made their way to the northern side of campus, close to where Kenma lived, and took a seat inside Kenma’s class. This class was a little smaller since there was a more focused group of students for a more focused type of class, but Oikawa did not seem out of place to Kenma. Everything about him exuded confidence, and maybe he was okay with it because it reminded him of Kuroo. 

Kenma raised an eyebrow as Oikawa sat down next to him and folded his hands on his knees, waiting for the class to start. 

“Wait, are you gonna stay?” 

“Yeah! I told you I had nothing else to do for, like, three hours. So here I am!” Oikawa grinned for the millionth time that day, and Kenma thought about how much it reminded him of Kuroo. 

Kenma shook his head.

Almost everything Oikawa did reminded him of Kuroo, but the two were nothing alike. _Stop thinking about Kuroo, you idiot_. Kenma shook his head for a final, definite time to clear Kuroo’s dumb face from his mind.

Kenma was pleased to find that Oikawa behaved for the duration of the class and did not draw any unwanted attention. He even took his own notes if he noticed Kenma was behind or had missed a slide in the professor’s powerpoint. 

Once the professor had ended class and the pair exited the building, they faced each other. Oikawa noticed that Kenma was gradually getting more comfortable with eye contact, and smiled the tiniest bit when the small blonde looked up at him with his golden eyes. 

“So, where are you headed now, Ken-chan?” 

“Home.” Kenma said, his voice tinted with a bit of relief and exhaustion.

“You sound tired.” Oikawa observed.

“I am.” Kenma confirmed. Oikawa stayed silent for a little while, looking around them at the bustling students.

“Well, I’ll see you—”

Oikawa suddenly reanimated and snapped his fingers, causing Kenma to jump. 

“We should study together for the algebra exam next week! What do you say?”

“That sounds fine.” Kenma yawned. Oikawa furrowed his eyebrows in mild worry.

“Pudding-chan, you look really tired. Are you sure you can make it home by yourself? I can walk with you? Just to make sure you don’t pass out.” Oikawa offered, holding his hand out to Kenma as if he were a frightened kitten.

“Um, no. I’ll be fine. Thanks, though.” Kenma said slowly, holding his hands close to his chest as he eyed Oikawa’s outstretched hand. Oikawa withdrew his hand and shrugged.

“Suit yourself.” He turned on his heel and began to walk in the way they had come. “See ya later, Pudding-chan!” He waved. 

Kenma nodded at Oikawa and walked toward the edge of campus, toward home.


	6. Saturday, September 9th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just wanted to remind y'all that you're awesome !! thanks for reading :3

“Ya-hoo, Pudding-chan!” Kenma looked up from his phone and immediately found Oikawa walking toward him. He pocketed his phone, deciding that his game could wait later. He nodded at Oikawa when he held the door open for him and led the way into the Starbucks on campus. 

The pair spends a couple of minutes looking at the menu and trying to decide what they want. After a while, Oikawa holds his hand out in a sweeping motion.

“If you’re ready to order, you can go ahead.” Oikawa offered. Kenma nodded and approached the cashier.

“Can I please have a grande caramel frappuccino with extra caramel drizzle on the cup?” Kenma asked, sliding the amount of yen needed to cover his drink across the counter. Kenma’s hand was stopped by Oikawa’s and Kenma looked up to see Oikawa beaming at him.

“Ken-chan, we have the same order!” He turned to the cashier. “Make that two, please.” Kenma pulled his hand back quickly, not used to the physical contact just yet. Oikawa turned back to Kenma. “And don’t worry about paying, you can cover it the next time we hang out.” 

Kenma stayed silent for a moment, thinking about the implication that there would even be a next time. He raised his eyebrows. “Sure.” 

The two of them begin their search for a quiet corner of the shop to lay out their study material and wait for their drinks to be called. 

Kenma noticed the amount of highlighters that immediately littered the table and the variety of pens that accompanied them. It was then that Kenma remembered that Oikawa’s notebooks were a rainbow of notes and doodles. _What a colorful guy_. 

“Ken-chan, stop making fun of my notes.” Oikawa crossed his arms over his chest in defiance. 

“I didn’t say anything.” Kenma defended himself.

“I can see the look of judgement you’re giving my highlighters.”

Before Kenma could respond, their drinks were being called and Oikawa was walking over to get them. Kenma continued to lay his study material out on the table and got to work on the first question of the study guide. When Oikawa came back with the drinks, he set them down, and did not make any more snide remarks. Instead, he got right to work on the study guide. 

“Do you wanna go over the first ten questions?” Kenma spoke up after about thirty minutes of peaceful studying. Oikawa nodded in agreement. He leaned closer to Kenma to compare their answers.

“Ah! There’s no way I’m wrong about number seven. Check your work.” Oikawa tapped the problem in question with his finger.

“You check your work. I always check when I finish the problem.” 

“You’re so mean, Ken-chan!” Oikawa gave in and checked over his work, tapping his pencil against his lips as he struggled to focus on algebra rather than the cute, petite blonde sitting across from him. As he checked over his work, he realized he had indeed made a slight miscalculation. So, naturally, he decided to change the topic.

“So...what’s up with you and that tall, dark, and handsome guy?”

“Wha-what do you mean?” Kenma stuttered, blushing slightly and forcing his gaze at his notebook.

“See, I didn’t mean anything by that, but your response makes me think there may actually be something up between you two.” Oikawa responded, suddenly very interested. He closed his notebook and held his head in his hands, elbows perched on the table.

“Nothing’s up, Oikawa-san.” Kenma shrugged and Oikawa hummed in response, smirking to himself. 

“So then, what’s up with you and Iwajumi-san?” Kenma asked plainly. Oikawa barked out a laugh, while also sporting a slight blush.

“That’s the funniest thing anyone has ever called him, and I am never letting that go.” Oikawa replied, immediately going back to studying. Oikawa was clearly trying to change the topic, but there was something nagging him at the back of his mind. “Wait. How do you know Iwa-chan?”

“After you bothered me about not knowing who you were, Kuroo told me that you played with Iwaizumi-san and that you were his setter in high school. He said you two were close.” Kenma explained. _And every setter I know is in love with their spiker_. He was not sure if that meant it was always reciprocated, though. He thought back to Akaashi and Bokuto, who had been happily dating for almost two years now, then to Kageyama and Hinata who finally just gotten together after years of refusing to admit their feelings.

“Well, nothing is going on between us...I think. Iwa-chan has never shown interest in anyone, really. So, yeah, there’s nothing between us.” Oikawa gave his head a single definite nod, logically explaining their relationship.

“But you want there to be.” 

Oikawa hesitated, looking up at Kenma. He felt as though he could probably trust him. “Yes, Ken-chan, I do. I think.”

“Why do you ‘think’ you want there to be? You like him, don’t you?” Kenma pressed, enjoying being on the other side of the interrogation for once.

“Yes, but I just don’t want to mess up our friendship. I’ve been friends with him all my life and I would absolutely die if anything were to change that.”

Kenma nodded, the parallels between the two did not go unnoticed. The classic “setters in love with their spikers” trope. 

Kenma could not help but think of Kuroo. Kenma refused to tell anyone of his own feelings for Kuroo. Although, he did feel a slight desire to tell Oikawa—to just finally tell someone. Oikawa and Kuroo didn’t even know each other, which made him lean even more towards telling him. It had been at least 4 years since Kenma had realized his feelings, and he had told no one. He had never had the courage to even admit his feelings out loud, for fear of Kuroo finding out. He was careful, and had not let it slip from his lips.

“I understand what you mean, do you wanna talk about it?” 

Oikawa smiled a real smile, and dove into the whole timeline of his friendship with Iwaizumi. From when they met, when he realized his feelings, and to where they were. His eyes brightened with fond memories of Iwaizumi as he spoke of him with such endearment, Kenma wondered how anyone could miss it. Oikawa was in love with Iwaizumi, and it was blatantly obvious just from the way he described him. Kenma hoped Iwaizumi loved him back.

“God, it actually feels really good to talk about this with someone. Everyone else I know would endlessly tease me or shit all over my feelings. But, my feelings for Hajime are unlike any other fleeting feelings I’ve had in the past. I think my past makes me come off as a sleazy guy, so people just don’t take me seriously.” Oikawa replied, looking at his drink and shyly mixing it with his straw.

“Maybe you should ease up a bit and not be so…comfortable around people. People might take you more seriously.”

“I know, I know, I guess I just use it as a coping mechanism.”

“People are not coping mechanisms, Oikawa-san.”

Oikawa stopped stirring, meeting Kenma’s eyes.

“You’re right. I want to be better.”

“I hope you know I’m gonna hold you to that. No more flirting with random people.”

Oikawa huffed, taking a sip of his drink and resuming his studies. “So... what’d you get for number seven?”  
  
“Oikawa, I’ll kill you.”

* * *

“Bro, how are you doing that?” One of Bokuto’s friends from class watched in awe as Bokuto juggled a couple of pieces of crumpled paper while walking out of his class. He could smell the coffee from the Starbucks nearby and his brain immediately cried out for a caffeine fix, but he found it was more important to keep on juggling.

“I’m just a natural, I guess!” Bokuto laughed while keeping his gaze on the pieces of paper. Bokuto and his classmate had just received their first exam grades of the semester in their Art Theory class, and as soon as they had seen their grades, they crumpled the paper up and laughed it off. Bokuto was a photography major, not an art major, he didn’t care. 

The pieces of paper fell to the ground as Bokuto stopped all movement and function. Through the glass of the Starbucks’ window, he spotted something that made his stomach churn.

“Bokuto-kun? What’s up?” His friend waved a hand in front of Bokuto’s face, but Bokuto did not see it. The only thing he could see was his best friend’s best friend sitting closely with a particularly attractive guy. Heat coursed through his veins as he watched the man he did not know lean closer to Kenma, practically nose to nose. The two seemed to be focused on some class work, but it did not matter to Bokuto, they might as well be on a date for all he cared. 

Bokuto snapped back to reality when his friend pushed on his shoulder. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

“Sorry, dude. Uh, I gotta go.” Bokuto quickly picked up the pieces of paper he had dropped and waved back at his friend, whom he had left in the dust, confused as can be. 

Once Bokuto had made it to some place quiet, he took out his phone and quickly rang up Akaashi, who answered on the very last ring. 

“Keiji.” Bokuto’s voice set Akaashi on edge. He sounded panicked.

“Kou? What’s wrong? Where are you?” Akaashi was whispering, and Bokuto deduced that Akaashi was at the library, as usual.

“I think Kenma’s gay for someone else.” Bokuto said hurriedly, reporting what he had just seen to his boyfriend. Akaashi stayed silent on the line for a while after Bokuto was finished. But then he spoke.

“All of this does seem very interesting, Bokuto-san.” Bokuto could practically hear the gears in Akaashi’s head turning. “We’ll talk more about it tonight.” The line cut out before Bokuto could respond, but he received a text no more than thirty seconds later.

 **owl i need <3 (1:37 PM) **and don’t you dare say a word to kuroo-san


	7. Thursday, September 14th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: L O N G C H A P T E R !!!  
> thanks again for reading guys :3

Kenma checked his phone as he walked out of his last class for the day, tapping on the message from Oikawa.

> **aliens r real (12:17 PM)** OMG!! i  got a 96ヾ(*ΦωΦ)ﾉ

Kenma felt a jolt of anxiety and quickly exited out of his messages app and selected his school app, searching for the new exam grades. He had managed to get a 94 on the exam. He felt a small wave of pride at his hard work, and texted Oikawa back.

> **applepi (12:19 PM)** i got a 94 :3
> 
> **aliens r real (12:21 PM)** let’s go out to celebrate!!! r u busy rn???
> 
> **applepi (12:22 PM)** no
> 
> **aliens r real (12:22 PM)** meet me at this place  [ >>Nakiryu<< ](http://www12.plala.or.jp/nakiryu/) hope you like amazing ramen!!

Kenma tapped on the location link and mapped out how long it would take for him to get there.

> **applepi (12:25 PM)** i’ll see you in 15 minutes

* * *

“Guys, I’m hungry!” Bokuto whined, following his two friends down the stairs outside of the gym. 

“I’ll never turn down the opportunity for food, what are you thinking?” Kuroo chuckled.

“Ramen!” Bokuto grinned. Iwaizumi groaned.

“It’s almost 80 degrees outside, Bokuto-kun. It’s too hot for ramen.” Iwaizumi complained. 

“It’s never too hot for ramen!” Bokuto slung his arms around his two friends’ shoulders. “There’s this cheap ramen place close by that Akaashi and I go to all the time.” 

“Do they have agedashi tofu?” Iwaizumi asked.

“You bet!” 

“I’m down, let’s go.” Iwaizumi nodded and Kuroo sighed. He guessed he wouldn’t have a say in the matter.

After about fifteen minutes of walking on sore legs and hungry bellies, the trio finally reached Nakiryu, and Bokuto could barely contain his excitement. He swung open the door and was about to greet the hostess when he came face to face with Kenma and the guy he had seen with him at Starbucks the other day. Bokuto’s eyes widened and he quickly backed out of the store. 

“You know, I think we should go somewhere else—uh, I’m not actually in the mood for ramen right now.” Bokuto laughed nervously, grabbing his friends’ arms and dragging them away from Nakiryu. 

“But...the tofu.” Iwaizumi protested. The door to the restaurant swung open and Iwaizumi’s heart dropped to his stomach as he saw Oikawa standing at the hostess’ podium with a petite blonde.

Oikawa spun around at the sound of Iwaizumi’s voice, “Iwa-chan!! What are you doing here? And who are your friends?” He asked, excitement leaving his voice as he saw the two other men Iwaizumi had arrived with.

Kuroo stepped through the door, making eye contact with Kenma. Bokuto trailed after them, unease settling into his stomach.

“I didn’t know you had other friends, Kenma.” Kuroo immediately regretted saying anything once he saw Kenma’s look of disdain. “Kidding! I’m kidding.” Kuroo slung an arm around the shorter boy’s shoulder.

Kenma felt Oikawa’s omnipotent gaze on him and shrugged off Kuroo’s arm, not wanting to hear about the display of affection from him later.

“Table for five, please!” Oikawa flashed a smile at the hostess, and silence ensued as the group followed her to their table. 

“So…” Bokuto says slowly. All eyes flickered up to look at the nervous man. 

“I’m Oikawa Tooru. Nice to meet you!” Oikawa stretched out his hand toward Kuroo, who took it tentatively. 

“Yeah, Haji has told me a lot about you.” Kuroo forced a smile and Iwaizumi nudged him under the table, daring him to speak another word.

“Haji?” Oikawa looked between Kuroo and Iwaizumi, his head tilted to the side. He turned to Iwaizumi. “Iwa-chan, I didn’t know you let people call you by your first name.” 

Iwaizumi gulped. He was saved by the waitress coming over to take their orders. The tension returned once she was gone, and Bokuto could not stand it.

“I’m Bokuto Koutarou, for anyone who didn’t know already!” Bokuto blurted out, adding a loud laugh at the end of his declaration, trying to play off his nervousness. 

“Nice to meet you, Bokuto-kun.” Oikawa replied politely, before immediately turning his attention back to Iwaizumi.

Meanwhile, Kuroo could not keep himself from glancing at Kenma, wanting to ask so many questions about this new person that Kenma had apparently befriended. Kuroo didn’t trust this Oikawa character one bit, and he felt sorry for Iwaizumi since he was the idiot who was in love with him.

Kenma could not stop fidgeting with his fingers under the table. He did not make friends often, and most of his current friends came with the courtesy of knowing Kuroo; he had not often been in a situation where he would have to introduce one of his friends to Kuroo, and he did not know how to go about it. 

Bokuto looked on as his two best friends studied the two men sitting across the table from him, his palms sweaty and his leg bouncing. He took out his phone and started typing furiously.

> **bo (12:51 PM)** akaashi help 
> 
> **owl i need <3 (12:51 PM) ** what did you do now
> 
> **bo (12:52 PM)** all i did was suggest Nakiryu + i got us into this mess
> 
> **owl i need <3 (12:52 PM)** did you manage to drop another bowl on the floor again?
> 
> **bo (12:53 PM)** bABE THAT WAS O N E TIME. BUT NO. i’m here with iwajumi + kuroo
> 
> **owl i need <3 (12:55 PM)** and what’s wrong w that?
> 
> **bo (12:56 PM)** kenma is here too. w tHE GUY
> 
> **owl i need <3 (12:56 PM)** the guy?
> 
> **bo (12:57 PM)** YES T H E G U Y
> 
> **owl i need <3 (12:57 PM) ** ohhh him. okay. what’s going on
> 
> **bo (12:58 PM)** they're all staring @ each other + making weird faces

Bokuto looked up as a piping hot bowl of ramen was set before him, and suddenly remembering his monstrous appetite, he dug into his food. 

The meal continued on in silence, save for the few snide remarks exchanged between Oikawa and Kuroo. Kenma’s anxiety increased as the two interacted. Kuroo and Oikawa had just met, and they already hated each other.

> **owl i need <3 (1:00 PM) ** what do you mean by weird faces?
> 
> **bo (1:09 PM)** they’re being all weird and manly. trying to see who can finish their ramen first. THIS RAMEN IS HOT AF !!
> 
> **owl i need <3 (1:10 PM) ** bokuto-san, please don’t burn your tongue
> 
> **bo (1:11 PM)** i’m fine, but i’m 100% positive kuroo’s tongue is burning to a crisp right now

Bokuto’s gaze flickered up just in time to catch Kuroo put the bowl of ramen to his lips and slurp down the remaining bit of steaming broth. He let out a loud sigh and set his bowl down loudly, as if he was declaring his victory. Bokuto turned his gaze to Iwaizumi, who was watching in awe as Oikawa mirrored Kuroo’s actions, neatly wiping his mouth with his napkin once he was finished. Their stares made Bokuto sweat more than the hot bowl of ramen in front of him. 

> **bo (1:14 PM)** akaashi we’re in deep doo doo. they’re displaying toxic masculinity rn
> 
> **owl i need <3 (1:15 PM) ** i don’t think that’s the proper use of the term, but you have the right idea, ko
> 
> **bo (1:15 PM)** what do
> 
> **owl i need <3 (1:16 PM) ** just don’t say a word. let them figure it out.
> 
> **bo (1:16 PM)** i can’t do that they’re my friends
> 
> **owl i need <3 (1:17 PM) ** bokuto, please. we’ll talk when you get home.
> 
> **bo (1:17 PM)** agHKAASSSHIiiiiii
> 
> _ Read 1:17 PM _

Bokuto locked his phone with a sour expression on his face as he turned back to the scene playing out before him. The waitress had just returned with the check, which she had placed in the middle of the table. Kuroo and Oikawa simultaneously reached out to grab the check, neither of them pulling away when they noticed the other. 

“Kuroo-chan, aren’t you a struggling college student?” Oikawa said, smiling politely.

“I’m here on a volleyball scholarship, don’t worry about it, dude.” Kuroo pulled the check toward him, but Oikawa’s tension on the bill made it difficult for him to gain possession. Oikawa pursed his lips at Kuroo’s fake smile and pulled on the bill harder. 

Kenma continued to focus on finishing his ramen, fully ignoring the display of idiocracy before him, unsure of what to do. Iwaizumi’s hand shot out to snatch the bill, successfully managing to wrench the check out of the two idiots’ grasps.

“Shit, I’ll just pay for it.” Iwaizumi snapped, reaching to grab his wallet from his shorts.

Oikawa and Kuroo both withdrew their hands, feeling somewhat embarrassed at their pettiness. Bokuto slowly stood up and stretched, pocketing his phone and turning to Iwaizumi.

“I’ll Venmo you.” Bokuto clapped Iwaizumi on the back before waving to the rest of the table as calmly as he could. “I’ll see y’all later!” He strolled out of the restaurant and made it a couple of paces away before he started racing toward home.

> **bo (1:33 PM)** im omw home rn u better b there

“Oi, Shittykawa, let’s go.” Iwaizumi stood up after the waitress had returned with his card. Oikawa made no move to disagree and bid farewell to Kenma before following Iwaizumi out of the restaurant.

“I’ll text you later, bro.” Iwaizumi called back to Kuroo before opening the door of the restaurant for Oikawa and following him out. As soon as the pair made it outside, Iwaizumi kicked Oikawa in the back of his leg, causing him to temporarily lose his balance.

“What is your problem, Tooru?” Iwaizumi growled, glaring at Oikawa. Oikawa replied with a small laugh and a scratch to the back of his head.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you mean.” 

“You damn well know what I mean!” Iwaizumi argued. “Why were you being an ass to a guy you just met?” 

“I wasn’t!” 

“Yes, you were! You were doing that stupid fake thing you do when you don’t like someone.” 

“Ah, Iwa-chan knows me so well.” Oikawa laced his fingers together behind his head and leaned up, looking at the sky while he walked beside Iwaizumi. “I don’t know. He just gave me bad vibes.” He muttered. Iwaizumi’s demeanor softened, knowing that Oikawa’s premonitions were not usually baseless.

“What about you gives him bad vibes?” Iwaizumi asked. He’d never introduced Kuroo to Oikawa, even though he’d been going to the gym with Kuroo for almost a year now. He wondered why he’d never thought about it. 

“I dunno.” Oikawa shrugged and continued to gaze up at the sky, trusting Iwaizumi to lead him home. 

A comfortable silence settled over the two best friends as they made their way home in the afternoon heat. Oikawa could tell the moment that they had gotten close to their apartment when he heard Iwaizumi pull out his keys. Oikawa released the hold on his head and rolled his neck out, satisfied when he got in a few small cracks. 

He watched Iwaizumi put the key in the lock and hesitate.

“What’s up, Iwa-chan?”

Iwaizumi rested against their front door, one shoulder leaned up against it and one of his legs crossed over the other, his hands shoved deep inside his pockets. This was one of Oikawa’s favorite sights. Bashful Iwaizumi Hajime.

“Since when have you started hanging out with Kenma?” Iwaizumi finally asked, causing Oikawa to cock his head to the side in confusion. This was not what he was expecting.

“Oh, did you know Kenma from before?” 

“Yeah, remember when I was helping some friends move in a while ago? I was helping Kuroo and Kenma move in.” Iwaizumi explained. “How do you know him?”

“I have algebra with him. He’s a smart kid. I like him!” Oikawa smiles. Iwaizumi can’t help but smile back, especially when he can tell Oikawa was being genuine. “Why?” 

“Oh, uh,” Iwaizumi rubbed the back of his head and straightened himself, turning back to the door to unlock it, “no reason.” He stepped inside the apartment and Oikawa followed suit, still suspicious of his best friend’s behavior.

“Iwa-channnnn.” Oikawa complains, throwing himself onto Iwaizumi’s shoulders, earning a grunt from him.

“Oikawa, please, I’m sore!” Iwaizumi protested, but Oikawa refused to relent.

“Not until Iwa-chan tells me what’s wrong!” 

Iwaizumi trudged over to the couch with Oikawa’s dead weight and shrugged Oikawa off of his back and onto the couch. 

“Hey—” It was now Oikawa’s turn to protest, but he quickly shut up once he saw that Iwaizumi was leaning over him, each of his hands planted on the couch on either side of his head.

“I told you, it’s nothing.” Iwaizumi reassured him one last time. The two stayed like that for a moment until Oikawa started to get fidgety, causing Iwaizumi to push off from the couch and disappear down the hallway. It took Oikawa a little while to catch his breath.

* * *

After everyone had went their separate ways, leaving just Kuroo and Kenma in the restaurant, Kenma settled his gaze onto Kuroo. 

“Are you okay?” Kenma questioned, a confused expression on his face.

“Yep, everything’s perfect.”

“Right.” 

Kenma got out of his seat, following Kuroo out of the restaurant and falling into step with Kuroo. Everything suddenly felt awkward. Kenma was someone comfortable with silence, but even he felt the tension hanging in the air between the two after that whole fiasco.

Kuroo felt incredibly embarrassed, he had no idea why he had acted like that. Kuroo rarely felt the need to assert himself like that, but something about seeing Kenma alone with that guy, made him feel protective. Or at least something like that.

“Who is Oikawa to you, Kenma?” Kuroo asked. Kenma was not one to hang out with a lot of people, and Kuroo found it a bit suspicious he was hanging out with someone as big a reputation as Oikawa.

“He’s my friend?” Kenma responded, not understanding what Kuroo was trying to get at.

“Alright.” Kuroo responded, sticking his hand in his pockets.

They walked in silence for the next ten minutes, meanwhile Kenma tried to focus on anything but Kuroo. His eyes trailed from the surrounding trees to random people who crossed their path. For once, he felt uncomfortable around Kuroo. 

Once they started to approach their neighborhood, Kuroo turned to look at him.

“I’m really sorry Kenma, I acted so stupid back there and embarrassed you. I don’t know why I did that.”

Kenma looked up at him, trying to read his facial expression. He seemed remorseful.

“It’s okay, Kuro.”

“So, we’re good?”

Kenma nodded. 

And that was that. Kuroo knew not to delve further into his words. Kenma forgave him and they would not need to discuss it further.

Kuroo placed an arm behind Kenma, pulling him into a quick hug, his arm lingering on his shoulder.

“So, you wanna go see that new sci-fi movie that comes out next Friday?”

“Yeah, that would be—oh. I can’t, I’m hanging out with Tooru next Friday.”

_ Tooru. He calls him Tooru.  _ Kuroo could not help but think to himself.

_ Why did I call Oikawa by his first name? I have literally never done that.  _ Kenma scolded himself.

“Oh, okay.” Kuroo responded, his arm withdrawing from Kenma’s shoulder.

Kenma started to feel bad. Kuroo was his best friend, and he didn’t want him to think otherwise. No matter what happened, Kuroo would always be his best friend. 

“I’m sorry, maybe we can go next Saturday or something?” Kenma offered, trying to reassure him.

“Oh, okay.”


	8. Sunday, September 17th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!! WARNING: SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT CAUGHT UP WITH THE MANGA !!!

“Is Iwaizumi-san here?” Kenma bowed at the threshold as he slipped off his shoes and shrugged off his backpack, letting it fall to the floor. 

“Nah, Iwa-chan is worshipping the Lord right now.” Oikawa joked, ushering Kenma inside and forcing him to sit on the couch. Oikawa grabbed two cans of soda and a bowl of chips before settling next to Kenma. Kenma just nodded in response. Oikawa flicked through the channels on his TV before deciding to let the Sci-Fi channel play and setting the volume low so the two of them could talk.

“So...ramen was interesting.” Oikawa teased, eyeing Kenma. Kenma refused to meet Oikawa’s annoying gaze and opted to focus his eyes on the cheesy show on the TV, grateful for his golden locks that blocked the view of the furious blush that fought its way onto his cheeks. Oikawa nudged him with his shoulder.

“I know something’s up between you and Bedhead-kun. Tell me.” 

Kenma’s heart began to race and his palms began to sweat. 

_Tell Oikawa? I barely even—_ Kenma thought for a moment. He did know Oikawa. Oikawa had spilled his secret about Iwaizumi to Kenma without even hesitating. Oikawa had trusted him. Kenma should show him the same courtesy. After all, Kenma really didn't have anyone to talk to about Kuroo. 

Kenma took a shaky breath.

“Fine. There is something between me and Kuroo, he just doesn’t know it. And he won’t ever know it.” 

Oikawa put down his chips, devoting all of his attention to his friend. “Say more right now.”

Kenma rolled his eyes, “I guess you could say you and I are in very similar situations, Oikawa-san.”

“Do tell.”

“I’ve been in love with Kuroo since the first time I saw him play volleyball.”

“And?”

“Oikawa-san. If I tell you everything, you have to promise not to tell anyone.” 

“Scout’s honor.” 

* * *

_Kenma’s 1st year of high school_

Kenma was incredibly nervous to be going to high school. Would people stare at him? Would people try to talk to him? He honestly didn’t want to talk to anyone, except for Kuroo. When Kenma felt himself getting anxious, Kuroo was always there to guide him through it. Kenma was excited to go to Nekoma, not necessarily for anything the school offered, but for the opportunity to be with Kuroo again. 

The first weeks flew by, Kuroo took him under his wing and introduced him to all of his friends. Kuroo got him to even join the volleyball team. Kenma tried not to stand out, even next to someone as striking as Kuroo.

Kenma was not one to care for what others thought of his appearance, but was struck with anxiety when it was pointed out that his hair made him stand out. So, he dyed his hair. Everyone was confused by this change—everyone except Kuroo, that is—who couldn’t stop looking at Kenma.

“I get it Kuro, my hair looks like pudding.” Kenma said, not daring to look up from his PSP. He could feel Kuroo’s eyes on him as they walked past their lockers to the lunchroom.

“Oh! Yeah, you should dye your roots. It would look really good on you.” Kuroo reached out to touch Kenma’s hair, a slight flush on his cheeks. Kenma looked up from his PSP as Kuroo softly pet his newly dyed hair. 

“Um. We should probably hurry so we can get to the lunch table on time.” Kuroo said, quickly bringing his hand to the back of his head.

Kenma nodded, allowing his hair to frame his face. His fresh blonde locks hid the blush that dusted his cheeks.

_Kenma’s 2nd year of high school_

Kenma and Kuroo had never been so close, and Kenma had never had so much fun playing volleyball. He started to enjoy going to school and seeing his friends and teammates. School was bearable for the time he spent with them. Hinata proved to be an unlikely friend, but Kenma seemed to find himself surrounded by passionate people. 

Nekoma went to nationals, but was unable to beat Karasuno. Kenma had been so caught up in volleyball and Kuroo that year that everything suddenly came crashing down once they lost.

He would never play volleyball with Kuroo again.

Kenma stood, blank-faced as their coach congratulated them on another good season while many of his teammates wept. He willed himself not to react until he got home. Kenma couldn’t even look at Kuroo. After they arrived at school, Kenma and Kuroo walked home together like they had so many times.

Kenma stared straight ahead of him as they walked home. 

“Well, that was something.” Kuroo began, placing both of his hands behind his head as he walked beside Kenma.

“Yeah, it really was.”

“Would you...are you going to play volleyball in college, Kenma?” Kuroo asked. Kuroo had told Kenma countless times that he would be, but Kuroo was hesitant to ask Kenma.

“No. I don’t think so.”

“Oh.” Kuroo dropped his hands, and stuffed them in his pockets. “Guess that was the last time we’ll play volleyball together then, huh?”

Kenma felt his eyes finally start to tear up at the thought, but willed the tears away before Kuroo could see, quickly wiping his eyes.

“I guess.”

Kuroo stopped walking once he saw Kenma reach to wipe his eyes, concern flooding his face. “Kitten, you were amazing today. You have nothing to regret.” 

Kuroo wrapped his arms around Kenma, as tears began to fall from both of their eyes. Kenma hesitantly wrapped his arms around Kuroo’s torso, allowing himself to fully indulge in Kuroo’s touch, just this once.

Their remaining months were spent ignoring the future. At the end of the year, Kuroo would graduate and leave Kenma alone, again.

Kenma sat, slightly uncomfortable, next to Kuroo’s dad at Kuroo’s graduation ceremony. Kuroo’s dad had always been incredibly nice to him, but he felt as if they would stop caring about him once Kuroo left.

The ceremony proceeded normally, with many accounts of their memories as a class and encouraging words for the future. Kuroo received his diploma and greeted all of his friends, making his way to his parents, and then to Kenma. Kenma barely spoke a word the entire time he was there.

Kuroo climbed in the car where Kenma and his dad waited to go home. The car ride was spent with Kuroo excitedly talking with his parents. Once home, Kuroo and Kenma climbed up to Kuroo’s room, where Kuroo began to undress.

Kenma averted his eyes, trying to focus on his phone as Kuroo changed from his formal attire to his pajamas.

“Why are you being so weird?”

Kenma looked away from his phone, up to Kuroo who was currently shirtless.

“What... do you mean?” Kenma replied, his eyes momentarily glancing at Kuroo’s chest before meeting his eyes.

“Kenma, I know you don’t talk a lot, but you’ve barely said a word the entire day. I know you. You’re being weird.”

“I’m not, sorry. I think I’m just tired or something.” Kenma responded, looking back at his phone.

“I’m being serious, can you stop looking at your phone for one second and just talk to me?” Kuroo snapped.

Kenma looked up at him, as Kuroo spoke again, “Did I do something wrong?” 

“No. You haven’t done anything wrong.” Kenma responded.

“Then, why won’t you tell me what’s wrong? Please, Kenma. Just tell me.” Kuroo pleaded, putting his hands on Kenma’s shoulders.

At that moment, Kenma thought he might tell him how he felt. Kuroo was leaving soon, and Kenma wanted to know if there was even a small part of Kuroo that felt the same, even if it was just a small part. If there was any time to ruin their friendship, it was now.

“I...I just. Kuro, I—I have to tell you something and you’re gonna hate me.” Kenma stuttered.

Kuroo’s hands ran down his arms to meet his hands. One of his hands tucking a strand of Kenma’s hair behind his ear.

“Nothing you can say will ever make me hate you, kitten.”

Kenma lifted his eyes to Kuroo’s, deciding then and there that he could not do it. He was not going to tell him now, and he would never. Kuroo was too good of a friend, and he would swallow his feelings forever if it meant he would stay by his side.

“I have to go.” Kenma blurted, gathering his things and quickly making his way out of Kuroo’s house. He banged on his front door, hoping he would be able to escape Kuroo if he was following him.

Kuroo did not follow him out of the house.

Kenma’s mom opened the door, and he rushed past her to his room, where he once again sobbed into his pillow about his feelings for his best friend.

_Kenma’s 3rd year of high school_

“Kenmaaaaa.” Kuroo groaned, flopping onto the carpet of his dorm room. 

Kenma revelled in the sound of his name rolling off of Kuroo’s tongue. It had been almost a week since Kuroo moved out of his parents’ house and into his dorm, almost a week since they last spoke. Granted, they did text everyday, but Kenma knows nothing compared to hearing Kuroo’s voice through his telephone receiver. Kenma’s silence prompted Kuroo to continue on with his whining. 

“College is so hard. It’s only the first week of classes and they already expect us to do, like, six assignments in one night then get enough sleep to show up for lecture. It’s either one or the other, fuckers! Plus, we have practice every day. How the hell am I gonna survive this?” Kuroo complained.. 

Kenma’s thumb tapped furiously on his Xbox controller as he tried to get his avatar to escape an enemy. Eventually, his avatar was caught and devoured. Kenma threw his controller to the side and rolled onto his side, capturing the pusheen that Kuroo had gifted him before he left for university in his arms. 

“Sounds like you should stop complaining and get to work.” Kenma said. More silence ensued and Kuroo sighed. It wasn’t that the silence was awkward, in fact both of the boys welcomed it, but they’d both rather be sitting in silence with each other, not on the phone.

“Can I come over tonight? Unless you’ve got plans on this fine Friday night.” Kuroo asked. Kenma could pick up on the slight desperation in Kuroo’s voice and surveyed his room. It was a slight mess from the lack of care over the past week. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Kenma had not moved from that spot on his bed other than to eat and use the utilities since Kuroo had left for university a week ago.

“I don’t care.” Kenma answered. He could hear Kuroo sigh again.

“You’re supposed to miss your best friend, kitten.” Kuroo said quietly. It was Kenma’s turn to sigh.

“I meant that you can literally come over anytime you want. You’re always welcome here, you know that.” Kenma explained rather flatly. Kenma could hear rustling on the other side of the line as Kuroo got to his feet. He heard a backpack unzip. Two hours later, Kuroo showed up at Kenma’s bedroom door.

That would mark the first of many times that Kuroo would ask to come over and Kenma would just remind him that he was always welcome. But as the days passed and Kuroo got more accustomed to university life, his requests to visit Kenma would become few and far between. The phone calls, however, became more frequent. Kuroo would call Kenma as he walked to class, as he walked from class, as he got ready for bed at night, if he couldn’t sleep--he’d call him to talk about anything at any time. Kenma didn’t mind at all.

Until the calls started to become like the requests to visit, few and far between. Kenma started to grow anxious—anxious that he’d done something to cause his best friend to distance himself from him. He started to grow anxious that he’d actually done nothing at all, that Kuroo was just becoming his own person at university and had decided that he didn’t need Kenma in his life anymore. 

Then came the day that Kenma would get his answer.

“Kenma, I’ve gotta tell you something...that I’ve been keeping from you for a while.” Kuroo said slowly. Kenma could hear people in the background of wherever Kuroo was at. He changed his grip on his phone and started to fiddle with a piece of his hair. Kuroo took his silence as permission to continue. “I have a girlfriend.” 

Kenma stayed silent, afraid of what would escape from his mouth if he allowed himself to speak.

“I didn’t want to tell you because—”

“Kuro, it’s fine. You don’t owe me an explanation or anything.” Kenma tried to tame the waver in his voice as he felt the lump in his throat build up, threatening to choke him. 

“Alright, then. We’ll leave it at that, I guess.” And they do. 

As time passed, Kenma got more and more used to the fact that Kuroo had a girlfriend. He got more and more used to the fact that his best friend did not love him back.

* * *

Oikawa ran his fingers through his hair and let out a breath.

“So that was a lot.” Oikawa nodded. “Sounds like you’re in deep shit.”

Kenma nodded, still not able to meet Oikawa’s gaze. 

“So what are you gonna do?” 

“I don’t know.”


	9. Friday, September 22nd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was fully written by yours truly, coocoocatchoo !! next chapter will be done 100% by killuagone, stay tuned :3

Kuroo’s index finger was smashed onto the right trigger button of the Xbox controller, causing his car to accelerate at an alarming rate. He directed his car to ram into the bumper of the car in front of them, causing both his character and the non-playing character in the other car to be ejected and thrown onto the road.

“Bitch!” Kuroo yelled at the television screen, leaning forward and beginning to make his character fight the other character. 

“What have they ever done to you?” Kuroo jumped at the sound of Kenma’s quiet voice, not realizing he had just arrived home. Kenma shrugged off his backpack and threw his keys onto the coffee table before plopping down next to Kuroo. 

“You’re home late. I thought you finished classes earlier in the afternoon.” Kuroo stated, still focused on the game and trying his best to not look down at the petite blonde, who was resting his head in Kuroo’s lap. 

“I was with Oikawa.” Kenma said simply. Kuroo didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. His silence was more than enough for Kenma to get the hint. It was not a secret that Kuroo was not fond of Oikawa, especially now that he was basically taking up all of his best friend’s time. But Kuroo knew that if he said anything, he’d come off as a jealous prick. Which he was. 

Silence ensued for what seemed like hours, the only sound that could be heard was Kuroo pressing the buttons on the Xbox controller and Kenma tapping on his phone screen. Eventually, Kenma rolled out from under Kuroo’s arms and got up, beginning to make his escape down the hall and to his room. 

“Where ya going?” 

“To bed, since you’re not talking to me.” Kenma looked Kuroo square in the face, his face blank. Kuroo sighed and paused the game, putting his controller down.

“I’m not mad at you.” Kuroo offered.

“I know.”

“I’m mad at the situation.” Kuroo explained. Kenma raised one of his eyebrows at Kuroo’s poor attempt at an explanation, so Kuroo continued. “You’re always hanging out with Oikawa. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so glad that you’ve made friends here, but I barely know the guy and...I don’t know, it’s stupid. I just thought you’d want to introduce your best friend to someone you like hanging out with.”

Kuroo knew he was leaving big chunks of his feelings out, but he was too mentally exhausted at the moment to even try to explain those feelings. He hadn't even come to terms with those feelings himself.

“But you do know Oikawa. You met him when we went to get ramen.” Kenma didn’t understand why it was such a big deal to Kuroo. Kuroo had never expressed interest in meeting or being introduced to his other friends, and he was confused as to why things were different for Oikawa.

“That was purely coincidence! If we hadn’t run into each other, I never would’ve even known the guy’s name.” Kuroo ran a hand down his face and sighed again. “I guess what I’m really trying to say is, I miss you.” 

Kenma looked down at the carpet, trying to will the blush that was threatening to spread across his cheeks to back off. He didn’t know that he was causing Kuroo to feel as though he was neglecting him or that he didn’t care about him. 

Kenma continued down the hallway, a profound uneasiness settling into his stomach as he heard Kuroo sigh yet again. Moments later, Kenma returned in sweat pants and Kuroo’s hoodie, flopping back down onto the couch and resting his head in it’s rightful place on Kuroo’s lap.

“So, what are we playing?” Kenma asked. Kuroo raised an eyebrow at Kenma’s odd behavior, he was sure that Kenma was upset with him because of what he had said about the whole Oikawa situation. He’d take this as a blessing, then.

“Well, I know you refuse to play GTA, which is the only game I’m good at.” 

“False, you’re good at Call of Duty.”

“And you hate Call of Duty.”

“That, I do.” 

“So, then, what do you wanna play?”

“It’s truly up to you, Kuro.” 

“Let’s play rock, paper, scissors. We’ll each pick a game and play for it.” Kuroo put his palm, face down, above Kenma’s face. “I’ll play for Mario Party.” 

“I’ll play for Kirby’s Epic Yarn.” Kenma sat up and faced Kenma, tucking his legs up against his chest. Kuroo faced Kenma and sat with his legs crossed beneath him. The two held out their hands, fingers curled tight into a fist.

“Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!” Kuroo held out his open hand, palm facing down toward Kenma’s hand, which was still curled up into a fist. Kuroo grinned as he put his hand over Kenma’s fist, giving it a light squeeze before turning away from him. Kuroo slowly unfolded himself and walked toward the console, barely missing the light blush that dusted Kenma’s cheeks from the physical contact.

They touched all the time, so why was this any different? 

Kenma stared at Kuroo’s back while he swapped the discs and synced an extra controller for Kenma; once Kuroo was settled back on the couch, Kenma returned to his spot in his lap, now with a controller in hand. He raised a brow at the TV when the title screen for Kirby’s Epic Yarn faded onto the screen.

“Kuro, are you getting old or what?” 

“What’s the problem, kitten? Didn’t you wanna play Kirby’s?”

“Yeah, but I lost.” Kenma tried to blow a couple of strands of his hair out of his face so he could properly glare up at Kuroo’s grinning face, wondering if there was ever going to be a day when he wasn’t wearing that stupid grin.

“Eh, but this game’s cute. Plus, you wanted to play it—so it’s not that big of a deal.” Kuroo ran a hand through Kenma’s hair, brushing the stray strands out of his eyes so he could see the screen clearly. 

“Thanks.” Kenma muttered quietly, not sure how he had survived all these years of close physical contact with such an attractive guy. 

“No problem at all, kitten. Let’s play.”

* * *

“This is bullshit.” Kuroo tossed the controller to the side and got up to turn the Xbox off while Kenma stretched his arms over his head and took a deep breath.

“Kuro, it’s not like you lost or anything. It’s a multiplayer game, not a versus.” Kenma couldn’t hide the chuckle in his voice, which only made Kuroo even more salty. 

“Yeah, but why are you so good at everything? You were saving my ass every other time a villain would show up. It was humiliating!” Kuroo whined, tapping the Xbox to turn it off before turning back to Kenma, who was in the process of yawning. 

“Maybe you just suck at everything.” Kenma shrugged. 

“Okay, that’s it, you’re getting cranky. It’s time for sleep.” Kuroo checked the clock next to the TV. 01:13. “You’re tired earlier than usual, Kenma. Are you getting old or what?” Kuroo teased, earning a pointed glare from the other boy.

“Shut up, I’m not tired.” Kenma said as he stifled another yawn. Kuroo smiled knowingly and approached Kenma, wrapping one of his arms underneath Kenma’s knees and bracing his back with the other hand. Kuroo made his way down the hallway toward Kenma’s room with Kenma dozing off in his arms. 

When he arrived at Kenma’s room, he stood in the doorway for longer than necessary, shocked at the state of the room. Kuroo had lost sight of Kenma’s bed. As far as he knew, Kenma had no bed. He could see a part of Kenma’s comforter peeking out from underneath a mountain of clothes, books, notebooks, and various snack wrappers. 

“What the fuck. How do you even live?” Kuroo mumbled under his breath. He looked down at the sleeping kitten in his arms and sighed. 

Kuroo turned on his heel and walked to the end of the hallway, where his own room was. He laid Kenma down in his bed carefully as to not wake him and turned off the lamp beside his bed. He sat down on the edge of his bed to pull off his socks and pants, and felt two small arms wrap around his midsection. He looked down to see Kenma, still snoozing, but curled up against Kuroo’s back. 

“This is why I call you kitten, kitten.” Kuroo chuckled quietly and gently pushed Kenma back to a laying down position before crawling into bed and pulling the covers over both of them. Kenma’s shivering shook the bed slightly, and Kuroo wrapped an arm around the smaller boy and pressed him to his side before finally dozing off.


	10. Friday, September 29th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yo i swear i hit every trope in this chapter, you're welcome  
> -killuagone

"Kenmaaa, can we do something?”

“No.”

Kuroo rolled over from his place on Kenma’s bed. Kenma was currently playing Spyro on his Xbox, his feet curled up into his chair. Kuroo had gotten home from classes, and there Kenma was, playing video games in his room as per usual. Kenma had barely even acknowledged Kuroo’s existence as he strolled into his room and threw himself down on his bed.

“Pleaseee?”

Kenma ignored him, adjusting the blanket he had on his lap. 

“You know what?” Kuroo grumbled to himself before making his way over to Kenma, placing his arms underneath Kenma’s armpits, and lifting him up and out of his chair.

“Kuroo, what the fu—” Kuroo threw him onto the bed, causing the controller to fall out of his hands.

Kuroo’s laughter echoed throughout the room as he realized what he had done. “Oh my god, Kenma, please don’t hurt me.” He giggled and ran out of the room, anticipating Kenma to chase after him.

“Kuro, I’m gonna murder you.” Kenma grumbled, rolling out of bed and following the sound of Kuroo’s quiet giggles. 

He found him cowering behind the couch, trying to hide his tall body behind the short object.

“I can see you, you know.”

“Damn. Well, now that I’ve got your attention, let’s do something!” Kenma glared at him, walking back to his room and picking up his controller again. Kuroo followed him back into Kenma’s room, shoulders slumped in defeat.

“Okay, how about if I let you pick the place?”

Kenma perked up at the idea and finally agreed, picking his favorite place: the arcade. The arcade that was absolutely disgusting with sticky floors and teenagers packed in like sardines, spilling their food and drinks all over the place. Arcades were one of the few places where Kenma could not control himself, and he usually ended up ditching his friends in an attempt to get as many tickets as possible. He was also known for wasting copious amounts of money at arcades.

There was an arcade only a couple of blocks away from their apartment, and the pair of college students made it there in record time due to Kenma’s unusual excitement.

“I should have known you would pick the arcade.” Kuroo groaned as they walked through the door, registering their cards for tickets. Kuroo trailed after Kenma, eyeing the teenagers who screamed at each other in groups.

* * *

“How did you do that?! I can't even get the ball in the stupid hole.” Kuroo complained, banging on the machine as it displayed a winning of 5 tickets.

“Guess I’m just lucky.” Kenma smiled, as he watched Kuroo lean over the machine.

“Don’t make fun of me, I just don’t have enough practice.”

“Okay, Kuro.”

Kuroo frowned, before guiding Kenma to the basketball hoops. “Will you play this with me? Maybe I can finally beat you at something.”

Kenma groaned, but obliged, swiping his card to activate the game. Kuroo smirked, swiping his card and immediately shooting basketballs. 

Kuroo and Kenma raced to shoot as many balls as possible, barely even registering if they went in. They took momentary glances at each other’s scores, but overall focused on shooting more basketballs than the other. When the clock ran out, Kuroo glanced over at Kenma’s score.

“Ha! I beat you.” Kuroo gloated.

“Okay, but only by eight points. Plus, it’s not fair that you’re half a foot closer to the hoop.”

“Awww, are you jealous of my height?”

Kenma rolled his eyes, before moving to a different portion of the arcade and settling on a different game.

“Kenmaaa, I'm kidding, you’re the perfect hugging height.” Kuroo tried to explain, wrapping his arms around Kenma from behind, his hands coming to rest in the pockets of Kenma’s black hoodie and his chin resting on Kenma’s head. Kenma felt his face grow warm and tried his hardest to focus on the game at hand. Kuroo would definitely notice if he lost the game. Kenma skillfully raced through the level, deciding he was done after one round, while Kuroo leaned over his shoulder, his face right next to his.

Kuroo’s hands left his body as the game ended before he motioned towards another game.

“Wanna play DDR?” Kuroo asked. The machine was brightly lit and eerily abandoned, unusual on a Friday night like this.

Kenma shrugged and followed him to the game.

Kuroo set up the game, and soon enough “Everytime We Touch” by Cascada started blaring through the speakers.

Kenma giggled quietly, standing in the middle of the plates, simply pressing on them as the song progressed. Meanwhile, Kuroo danced like his life depended on it, jumping so fervently that the game began to shake. 

“Kenma! Dance like you mean it!” Kuroo managed to say in between breaths. Kenma stood in place and became so caught up in Kuroo’s movements that he missed a couple of moves.

He blinked, remembering that he was openly staring at Kuroo, and tried to keep in time with the game until the song ended.

“I swear to God you’re cheating. How on earth did you beat me?” Kuroo panted, sweat sliding down the side of his face and pooling at his chin.

“I dunno.” Kenma smirked and shrugged. He had been so entranced by Kuroo’s dancing that he genuinely did not know how he won.

“Hmmm, wanna play the Jurassic Park game?” Kuroo asked.

“That’s only one player though.”

Kuroo shrugged. “Sit in my lap?”

Kenma said nothing, trailing after Kuroo who sat down in the booth meant for only a single player.

Kuroo would be the death of him. After Kuroo had been broken up with, he started to become even more touchy. Kuroo was a touchy guy in general, but having Kuroo’s hand on Kenma’s body so often was doing things to the poor boy, and Kuroo didn’t even notice. Surely, Kuroo meant nothing by it, but he was the only person Kenma would allow to be touched by. 

Kuroo patted his lap, smiling at Kenma, who sheepishly climbed into his lap. Kenma reached for the controls at the same time that Kuroo did, causing Kuroo to laugh. The taller boy rescinded his hand and placed his arms lightly around Kenma’s waist to keep him from falling, meanwhile Kenma blushed and shook slightly as he pressed the start button.

Kenma felt awkward. He rarely did with Kuroo, but the sudden realization that he was sitting on his best friend’s lap, who he was in love with, on an extremely bumpy game was too awkward to cope with. He could have just said no, but Kenma could rarely deny Kuroo of the things he wanted.

Kenma sat as still as possible in Kuroo’s lap while Kuroo shrieked underneath him as dinosaurs and characters moved around on the screen. Kenma stayed silent, only making a noise when Kuroo moved too rapidly.

The game took far too long in Kenma’s opinion, but when it eventually ended, Kenma swore to never play it again. He began to stand up, but Kuroo’s arms kept him in place. He turned to look at Kuroo whose face was suddenly way too close.

It was silent as the two best friends stared at each other, and Kenma thought he saw Kuroo leaning in, so he inched forward himself, until he could feel Kuroo’s breath on his face. Kenma then became aware of himself and felt his body beginning to stand up on its own, this time, without the resistance of Kuroo’s arms.

Kenma’s feet carried him all the way to the prize station, where he made conversation with the man behind the counter to avoid Kuroo. Kenma browsed the choice of prizes and felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end when he felt Kuroo’s presence beside him. Kuroo held out his card to Kenma.

“You can have my tickets.”

“Oh...thanks.” Kenma cautiously reached out to take the card from Kuroo, taking extra care to not brush his fingers against Kuroo’s when he took the card from him.

Typically, Kenma would have put up more of a fight, but the tension made him want to speak as little as possible. 

Kenma eventually picked out a white and ginger kitten plushie that he found to be too cute. He thanked the man and walked over to Kuroo, who was sitting at a bench looking at his phone with his back turned to him. 

“Here.” He held the kitten out in front of him.

“The tickets were supposed to be for you to get what you wanted.”

“I come to the arcade so much, Kuro. I want you to have it.” Kenma replied, unable to meet Kuroo’s pointed gaze.

“So you picked a kitten that looks like you, huh, kitten?” Kuroo blushed, putting his hand on the back of his neck.

“Shut up.” Kenma said, gently pushing past him and out of the arcade.

* * *

Kuroo and Kenma found themselves in another ramen restaurant, Kuroo going out of his way to make sure it was not the same restaurant as the other day. Kuroo swore he would never set foot in that place again.

The two of them made conversation as usual between mouthfuls of ramen, but the tension around them from before was not completely gone. 

“So, how have your classes been? Any girls you think are cute?” Kuroo prodded, his eyes never leaving Kenma’s as he brought the bowl up to his lips.

“My classes have been alright. It’s just weird transitioning from high school to college, but otherwise it’s been cool. Nice, even.”

Kuroo nodded. “Anyone caught your eye?”

Kenma looked up at Kuroo, who seemingly would not let that bit slide.

“No.”

Kuroo nodded, returning his focus to his ramen.

Why would Kuroo be asking this? Kuroo rarely asked Kenma about his love life, knowing full well that Kenma was never interested in anyone.

“How about you?” Kenma asked, trying to seem as if Kuroo’s question did not just make him question Kuroo’s intentions.

“Nope. No one new.” 

Kenma nodded as Kuroo dove into a story about something stupid Bokuto did, and he felt the tension slowly slide off his shoulders as they returned to the point of normalcy. 

Until the waitress came back around.

“You two need anything else?” She asked, smiling at the two of them.

“I think we’ll take the check whenever you get the chance, thank you.” Kuroo responded, looking up at Kenma.

“Oh yes, I have it right here! By the way, I just wanted to say you guys are so cute together. Thanks for eating at our restaurant!” She said, placing the check in front of Kuroo and bowing before rushing off to her other customers.

Kuroo looked up at Kenma, who went beet red at her insinuation. Kenma’s mind immediately started to run wild. _Why would she say that? Did I look at Kuroo for too long? Could she tell that I’m in lo-_

“That’s so funny, oh my god. She thinks we’re together and she totally decided I’m the top.” Kuroo laughed to himself. 

Kenma looked up at him, clearly confused. “What?”

“She put the check in front of me, she decided I’m the top.” Kuroo laughed to himself, before pulling out his card and placing it next to the check.

“Oh.” 

The waitress came back to their table, a wide smile played on her lips. She reached for the check and returned a few minutes later.

“Thank you so much!” She smiled placing Kuroo’s card in front of him.

“Thank you. Also, thanks for the compliment earlier, but we’re not together. We’re close, but not that way.” Kuroo laughed, winking at her.

She apologized profusely, and began to strike up a conversation with Kuroo, ignoring Kenma’s presence.

Kenma had never wanted to escape a situation so badly. He could stand people thinking they were together, it had happened many times, but he was starting to get annoyed at this point. A moment ago this girl thought they were dating, and now—suddenly—she was openly flirting with Kuroo.

Kenma slid out of the booth and made his way outside, where he decided he would wait for Kuroo. He did not want to be there any longer.

Kuroo made his way out a few minutes later. “Why’d you ditch me like that?”

“I definitely didn’t ditch you, but okay.” Kenma chuckled to himself wryly. Kuroo did not reply, deciding to leave Kenma alone for the time being. The deafening silence of their walk home eventually got to Kuroo once they reached their apartment.

“Is something wrong?”

“Just open the door, Kuro.”

Kuroo complied, opening their front door so they could both get inside. Kenma walked straight to his room and did not come out for the rest of the night.


	11. Saturday, October 14th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is basically just iwaoi fluff + bokuaka fluff written. i hope you all enjoy this meal :3 - coocoocatchoo + killuagone

Oikawa stood in their apartment at approximately eight in the morning, his hand stroking his face. He wanted to make Iwaizumi something, as this was the first weekend the two had to themselves in a while. His mind wavered over the expansive list of food he was able to make, which consisted of only about ten dishes. Oikawa had recently started watching American shows and wanted to try something a bit different, eggs and bacon.

So there he was, attempting to not burn eggs and bacon. He cracked the eggs into the pan, swinging the dish towel over his shoulder. As he waited for the eggs to cook, he started to sing to himself, swaying his hips to the music in his head. He became increasingly louder as he cooked the bacon, competing with the sizzling of the bacon in the pan on the stove.

Iwaizumi awoke to the smell of bacon and the sound of Oikawa’s soft singing. He’d never tell him this, but he could hold a tune when he tried and he was actually quite good. He rolled out of bed, shuffling his way to the doorframe so he could peek his head out and get a good look at Oikawa being stupid. He stood there for a few moments while Oikawa stood in the kitchen, shirtless for some god-forsaken reason. His eyes lingered on his back and then on his hips, and he began to quietly chuckle to himself as his best friend carelessly cooked. Iwaizumi continued to stare until Oikawa stopped singing, hurriedly making his way back to his bed, where he decided to sleep as long as Oikawa would let him.

“Iwa-chan, WAKE UP!” Oikawa yelled, unceremoniously banging two pans together right by Iwaizumi’s head. Iwaizumi jumped, almost hitting his head on the pans to look at Oikawa.

“Oikawa, I swear to God, get out of my room or I’ll kick your ass.”

Oikawa simply laughed. “But I made you breakfast!!” He said excitedly, running back to the kitchen and beckoning for Iwaizumi to follow.

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes, groaned into his pillow, and then followed Oikawa to the kitchen. Oikawa stood at the table, excitedly looking at Iwaizumi. He had served them both two eggs and one strip of bacon, in the shape of a smiley face.

“Isn’t it cute? Also I made more eggs and bacon, I just served us this for the aesthetic, ya know?” Oikawa asked, one hand on his hip.

Iwaiziumi chuckled at the sentiment, sitting at the table.

“No ‘thank you’, Iwa-chan? After I slaved in the kitchen for you??”

“Let’s see if this actually tastes good, Shitty-kawa.”

“Heyyy, don’t call me that when I literally made you breakfast.”

“Thank you, Mom.”

“Iwa-chan, I don’t know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult.” OIkawa frowned.

Iwaizumi laughed to himself, allowing himself to take in the shirtless chest of the other boy, “Go put on a shirt, asshole.”

“Aw! Why, too distracted by my toned body?” Oikawa asked, winking at Iwaizumi and smirking to himself.

_ Yes.  _ “No. You just have bacon grease all over, it’s disgusting.”

“Mean, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa retorted, sticking his tongue out.

* * *

In the afternoon, Oikawa was laying on the couch as Iwaizumi came out of his room to get something to eat. Oikawa immediately sat up and leaned his head on the back of the couch once he saw his best friend.

“Iwa-channn, come spend time with me.”

“Why?”

“You’re my best friend! You don’t wanna spend time with me?” Oikawa asked, feigning hurt.

“Don’t you have anything better to do? It’s Saturday night, shouldn’t you be at a club or something?”   
  
“Nope, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be right now.” Oikawa smiled.

“Oh.” Iwaizumi responded. Shrugging, Iwaizumi slowly made his way over to the couch, where he moved Oikawa’s legs so he could sit. His snack had long been forgotten. He placed Oikawa’s legs in his lap before proceeding.

“What do you wanna do?”

“Alien conspiracies!!”   


“Oikawa, I will leave this apartment.”

“Iwa, pleaseee.”

“I think we have watched every alien conspiracy video or documentary in existence. I get it, you think aliens are real.”   
  
“Are you telling me after all those alien conspiracy videos and documents you watched with me, you don’t think aliens are real??”

Iwaizumi sighed. “Can’t we do something normal, like, play uno or some shit?”

“How about both at the same time?”

“Fine.”

Oikawa clapped, getting up briefly to retrieve some Uno cards, popcorn, and drinks. He handed the items to Iwaizumi, reaching for the remote to find an alien video they hadn’t already seen.

Eventually, when Iwaizumi had caught Oikawa trying to look at his cards for the third time, he rolled his eyes and blatantly showed him his cards.

“Iwa-chan, don’t show me your cards!”

“Why not? You’re trying to look at them anyways, I know you just wanna win.”

“You’re no fun, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa huffed, claiming victory for the second time.

They put their cards away, turning their attention to the TV as the host continued to speak about alleged alien arrivals. Oikawa scooted closer to Iwaizumi, suddenly getting very close. Iwaizumi tried hard not to notice. That is, until Oikawa spoke.

“Can we cuddle?” Oikawa asked slowly, sounding unsure of himself. Oikawa was suddenly acting vulnerable for some reason. Oikawa and him had cuddled before, and every time it had managed to mess with Iwaizumi’s head.

“Sure.”

Oikawa reached for his arm, pulling it around his neck and placing it on his shoulders. Oikawa’s body curled into Iwaizumi, spreading a fire throughout Iwaizumi’s body.

Why was he nervous? They had done this several times, what made it different now?

“You okay?” Iwaizumi asked, suspicious of Oikawa’s sudden affection.

“Yeah...I’ve just missed you.” Oikawa mumbled into the soft cotton of Iwaizumi’s t-shirt.

Color flooded Iwaizumi’s cheeks. “I’ve missed you too.”

“Wow, you really are getting soft on me, huh?” Oikawa smirked.

“Leave it to you to ruin the mood.”

“You know you love me, Iwa-chan.”

“Whatever.”

* * *

Akaashi shrugged his coat on and helped Bokuto get into his own, the wing spiker somehow always managed to get lost in his coat when he didn’t have help. Akaashi held out the coat to his boyfriend, allowing him to properly locate the arm holes and slip his arms inside. Once the two were properly clothed for the cold that faced them outside, Bokuto held out his arm to Akaashi and Akaashi hooked his slender arm around Bokuto’s and the two slipped out into the night.

“I haven’t heard from Kozume-san in a while. Have you seen him around lately?” Akaashi asked, his breath coming out in a small cloud around his lips. 

Bokuto thought for a minute. “Actually, yeah, I’ve seen him and Oikawa at the Starbucks on campus a couple of times.” He pauses. “I feel bad for Kuroo.”

“Why?”

Bokuto looks up at the sky and smiles softly. “I think I would’ve died if I kept seeing you with another guy before we started dating.” 

“I don’t think anyone would’ve dared to flirt with me when we were in high school.” Akaashi smiled softly, remembering how protective Bokuto was in high school. How protective he still was, even in college and even in a secure relationship.

“Shouldn’t Kuroo just tell Kenma how he feels?” Bokuto asked. Akaashi chuckled.

“I don’t think that pain-in-the-ass even knows how he feels.” 

It was silent for a few more minutes. Bokuto looked up at the sky when he felt a small droplet of moisture hit his forehead.

“Did you feel that?” Akaashi followed Bokuto’s gaze to the sky.

“What are you looking at?” As soon as the words left Akaashi’s mouth, the heavens opened and drenched the couple. Akaashi squinted sourly at the sky and pulled up his hood, though it barely helped defend him against the barrage of rain.

“It’s raining!” Bokuto squealed happily, tearing his arm from Akaashi’s grip and raising his hands toward the sky. Akaashi watched as his boyfriend became more and more soaked by the rain, and admired the way that the wetness slicked back the grey and black locks that were usually sticking straight up. 

“Bokuto-san, please put your hood up. You’re going to catch a cold.” Akaashi chided. He looked around and found a small overhang of a nearby closed bakery, and sought dry sanctuary there. Bokuto just ignored him and kept playing around in the rain, sloshing through puddles and jumping in the potholes that had filled with water. All Akaashi could think about was the huge load of laundry he would have to deal with when they got home. As well as an extremely sick Bokuto Koutarou.

“Sorry, I don’t respond to that name!” Bokuto teased, turning his face upward once more to try and catch as many raindrops as he could on his tongue. Akaashi grimaced. Surely an extremely sick Bokuto Koutarou awaited him in the future.

“Kou-kun, what are you—” Bokuto grabbed his hand and dragged him back into the rain with such force that his hood flew off of his head. Akaashi stumbled forward—he couldn’t see. Between the rain and Bokuto’s bright smile, he might as well be blind.

“I didn’t know you liked the rain so much, Kou.” Akaashi tilted his head to the side.

“I don’t usually! But tonight is different.” Bokuto twirled Akaashi around, their movements kicking up the rain that had started to fall in pools around them.

“Why?”

“‘Cuz you’re here, and I finally get to try this.” Bokuto pressed Akaashi’s body against him, one of his hands supporting his lower back and the other supporting his head. Akaashi’s hair was wet and curlier than usual, and somehow the rain exaggerated the storminess of his eyes. Bokuto thought it was beautiful. Thought he was beautiful. He tipped Akaashi’s chin up with his index finger and chased Akaashi’s lips with his own, only letting a few drops of rain get in between them.

_ How cliche. _ Akaashi thought, letting himself sink into the kiss. He didn't mind that much.

* * *

“‘Kaashi.” A hand shook Akaashi’s shoulder lightly. Akaashi opened his eyes and rolled over to meet the lovely lips of his boyfriend as he usually would every morning. But this morning, his lips were met with the cotton comforter. Akaashi blinked. Bokuto was not his usual energetic self. He looked a bit red. And sweaty. Akaashi’s hand shot up to feel Bokuto’s forehead and his suspicion was confirmed. 

Bokuto Koutarou was sick. 

Akaashi threw the covers back off of his legs and made his way to their bathroom to fetch the thermometer. Once he returned to their room, he turned on his bedside lamp, turned on the thermometer, and stuck it inside Bokuto’s mouth. With the lamp providing subtle lighting, Akaashi was able to get a better look at the salt and pepper locks that were stuck in a sweaty clump against his boyfriend’s forehead. Bokuto’s usually wide, golden eyes were now dull and squinted at the light. His naturally tan complexion was now a bit pale.

The thermometer beeped.

“One-oh-one point six, Kou.” Akaashi read out loud. Bokuto groaned and flopped back onto the bed, pulling the covers up over his shoulders to fend off the chills. Akaashi switched the lamp back off and whispered a promise to return before he slipped out of the bedroom and headed for the kitchen.

_ Koutarou is going to hate this.  _ He smiled to himself as he poured a fever reducer into a small cup and prepared some tea with honey.

Akaashi returned to the bedroom with the medicine in one hand and the tea in the other, earning a disdainful look from his feverish boyfriend.

“Do you want to feel better?” 

“I feel fine!” Bokuto’s voice sounded worse than he looked, and Akaashi raised an eyebrow at him. He sat on the edge of Bokuto’s side of the bed and coaxed him to open his mouth and swallow the medicine and take a few sips of the tea. Akaashi crawled into bed beside him, and within a few minutes, Bokuto was knocked out and snoring loudly, clutching Akaashi firmly. 

Akaashi reached for his phone on his nightstand and shot a quick text to their captain, informing him that they wouldn’t be able to make it to practice today. 

_ Oh, Koutarou is going to hate this. _

If Bokuto hated one thing, it was missing volleyball. Especially if he was sick.


	12. Monday, October 16th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> L I S T E N, this chapter is lloooonggg as hell. but we worked so hard on it. we hope y'all enjoy your meal.
> 
> also, warning for mild adult language !!

“So you wanna do anything special today?” Kuroo asked slowly, not looking up from his laptop as he typed up his lab report. Kenma hummed in response as he lounged on Kuroo’s bed, eyes glued to his PSP.

“We can just do what we usually do. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Bake a pie, order food, and play games?”

“Sounds good.” 

“Is it okay if a few of the guys come over to chill with us?”

“Who are ‘the guys’?” 

“Just Bo, Akaashi, Iwa, and Oikawa.” Kuroo shrugged, keeping his eyes focused on his laptop screen. Kenma paused and raised an eyebrow in mild amusement.

“Wow, you’re inviting Oikawa? I thought you hated him.”

“He’s okay. Plus, he’s your friend so I can deal with it.” Kuroo shrugged again and Kenma returned his focus to his game, seemingly satisfied with Kuroo’s answer. 

Kuroo opened his group chat with Bokuto, Akaashi, Iwaizumi, and Oikawa and sent a quick message.

_Kenma’s Birthday Extravaganza 2k17 !!_

> **tetsu (5:07 PM)** he does not suspect a thing
> 
> **bo (5:09 PM)** dude r u 100% sure cuz kenma hates surprises ((O_O))
> 
> **akaashi (5:09 PM)** kuroo-san, make sure he knows we’re coming. i don’t want any drama.
> 
> **tetsu (5:10 PM)** he knows! i just asked if it was okay if y’all came over. he said yeah :3
> 
> **oikawa (5:11 PM)** yay !!! we’ll b there @ 7. iwa-chan is excited too ☆*:.｡.o(≧▽≦)o.｡.:*☆
> 
> **bo (5:11 PM)** WHAT SHOULD WE BRING ????
> 
> **tetsu (5:12 PM)** lots of alcohol
> 
> **akaashi (5:12 PM)** what about food ?
> 
> **tetsu (5:13 PM)** we’ll order pizza i guess ??? 
> 
> **bo (5:13 PM)** SURE THING !!! C U @ 7 BRO ((OvO))

Kuroo pocketed his phone and finished his lab report, flopping onto his bed beside Kenma once he had shut his laptop.

“I thought we were gonna bake pie?” Kenma put his PSP to the side and turned his head to look at Kuroo, who was resting his eyes. “Kuro, it’s only five. Why are you sleeping?”

“I wasn’t sleeping—just resting my eyes, kitten.” Kuroo rolled over and propped his head up on his hand, leaning on his elbow to get a better look at Kenma. Kenma felt his face heat up and shrunk further into his hoodie to hide his red tinted cheeks. Kuroo simply kept staring at Kenma for longer than Kenma was comfortable with before he pushed himself up and onto his feet. He paused in the doorway and glanced back at Kenma, who still hadn’t recovered from Kuroo’s gaze.

“Are you coming or what?”

“Where?”

“To make a masterpiece, of course.” Kuroo grinned before leaving the room. Kenma rushed to compose himself before he followed Kuroo to the kitchen, where Kuroo was placing apples into a colander and rinsing them with water. Once he noticed Kenma had followed him, he held up a finger and dug around in a bag on top of the counter. Kenma looked on in curiosity.

“I got you something special to wear for your birthday.” Kuroo grinned, pulling a small, colorful apron out of the suspicious bag. Kenma immediately started scowling.

“Kuroo, I am not wearing that.”

“C’mon it fits you so well.” Kuroo laughed, moving closer to Kenma to put the apron around his neck. The apron in question was a pale pink color and had the words, “Happy Birthday, Kitten!” written in hot pink letters with a kitten underneath them. Kenma thought it was hideous.

Kenma yanked it off, huffing as he went over to the stove, where he began to mix the ingredients for the apple filling.

“Kenma, please wear it. I bought it specifically for your birthday!” Kuroo begged.

Kenma rolled his eyes, gingerly placing the apron over his head and tying it around his waist. Kuroo laughed quietly to himself, silently vowing to take some pictures of him when he wasn’t paying attention.Kuroo sprayed the tin and placed the crust inside, filling it with the apples. Kenma finished the filling and began to pour it inside. Kuroo pulled out the dough and began to cut it so they could begin to lattice their pie crust.

“So...does Oikawa play for both teams?” Kuroo asked as he began to braid the dough.

“Why are you always asking me about Oikawa?” Kenma asked, taken off guard by Kuroo’s question and also beginning to get frustrated with the other boy’s constant pestering.

“I just—I was wondering.”

Kenma looked up from the pie. “Why do you think that in the first place?”

Kuroo finished the pie off and stuck it in the oven, taking time to think over what he was going to say.

“He was very, uh, defensive over you that one time at the ramen place.” Kuroo replied, unsure about where he was going with this conversation.

“Why does that matter?’

“It doesn’t, I'm just wondering if maybe he has feelings for you or something."

Kenma smirked to himself. “God, you’re so oblivious sometimes, Kuro.”

“What does that even mean?” Kuroo asked as Kenma started the timer for their pie.

“Don’t worry about it.”

Kuroo was even more confused than when the conversation had started. The two best friends made their way over to the couch where Kenma started up, Overcooked, a game that he figured Kuroo would enjoy a bit more. 

An hour after playing on the Switch, the timer went off, signaling that their pie was done. The scent of cinnamon flooded their apartment as they both jumped up at the sound. Kuroo quickly reached for some oven mitts and transferred it to the table.

“Yo, this smells delicious.” Kuroo commented after setting the pie down.

“Kuro, please wait for it to cool down.”

“Fine, but I’m only waiting, like, five minutes.”

Five minutes later, as promised, Kuroo stuck a few candles in the pie and began to light the candles.

“Kuro, you really don’t have to do that.”

“I want to.” Kuroo smiled, as he began to loudly sing to the blonde haired boy.

Kenma flushed as Kuroo sang to him. He was suddenly hit by a wave of endearment and affection as Kuroo sang to him, making sure to blow out the candle when he finished.

 _I wish for you to find someone who truly loves you. Someone who deserves you._ If this was how Kuroo treated his best friend, he could only imagine the guy in love.

Kuroo then began to cut the pie and served them both a slice.

They both dug in, sparing no expense to try and have manners. It seemed as if the pie tasted better with each year that passed.Once they finished, Kuroo turned to Kenma and took his plate back to the kitchen. Upon his arrival he noticed something on Kenma’s face.

“You got a little something there.” Kuroo said, motioning to the corner of his lip.

Kenma wiped his mouth quickly, but did not successfully remove the small piece of crust stuck to his bottom lip.

“It’s still there.”

Kenma once again wiped his lips, once again without success.

“Let me just get it.” Kuroo said, scooting closer to Kenma until their faces were centimeters apart.

His thumb lingered across Kenma’s bottom lip as Kenma took a sharp intake of breath. Kuroo had already gotten the pie off of his lips, but Kuroo’s eyes were still trained on Kenma’s lips as Kenma’s gaze unwavered on Kuroo’s form. _What is he doing?_

They both began to lean in even closer, Kuroo’s hand shifting to rest on Kenma’s jaw.

Kuroo jumped back as he suddenly heard the front door unlock. _What was I even trying to do just now?_

“Hey, hey, hey! Where’s the birthday boy?” As Bokuto’s voice rang throughout the apartment, Kuroo began to really regret giving Bokuto a key to their apartment. “Ow! ‘Kaashi what was that for?”

“Use your indoor voice, Koutarou.” Akaashi’s stern voice followed Bokuto’s complaint. It was silent for a second before Bokuto spoke up again.

“Pardon the intrusion!” Bokuto stepped into the living room, where Kuroo and Kenma were sitting just a bit too close on the couch. Bokuto felt his face heat up slightly as he remembered the last time he had seen them on the couch together, and was searching for something to say.

“Happy birthday, Kenma.” Akaashi emerged from behind Bokuto and presented a small box to Kenma.

“You didn’t have to get me anything, Keiji.” Kenma smiled softly, taking the box from and clearing the wrapping paper to reveal Pokemon Sword and Shield. Kenma stood and hugged the games to his chest. 

“I’ll cherish them.” Kenma rushed off to his room to charge his Switch and Akaashi followed, deciding that Kuroo and Bokuto needed some time alone. 

“So, where should I put these babies?” Bokuto raised his arms, showing off the six bags that undoubtedly contained copious amounts of alcohol. Kuroo gulped and shook his head slightly, trying to will his face back to a normal temperature.

“Uh, you can put ‘em in the kitchen.” He stood and wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans before reaching for some bags. “Here, I’ll help.” The two volleyball players make their way to the kitchen in silence. Under the fluorescent light of the kitchen, Bokuto could easily make out the furious blush that assaulted his best friend’s face.

“Bro, why are you so red?” Bokuto clapped Kuroo on the back good-naturedly, trying to ease the tension. “Was carrying those bags too much for you, old man?” 

Kuroo regained his composure, relaxing into his usual, slouched posture and resting a hand on Bokuto’s shoulder. A wide grin played on his lips. It was just like Bokuto to inadvertently know what he needed. 

“Look who’s talking. Who even has grey hair before they’re twenty one?” Bokuto scowled at him and opened his mouth to defend himself when the front door was opened and slammed shut, a shrill voice interrupting them. 

“It smells soo good in here! I didn’t know you could cook, Tetsu-kun!” Oikawa stood in the living room, with his hands on his hips, and an exhausted looking Iwaizumi behind him.

“Iwajumi, why do you look like you’re about to die?”

“You try living with Oikawa, then get back to me.” Iwaizumi shot a glare at Oikawa, who feigned innocence, before approaching Bokuto and Kuroo and greeting both of them with a quick one-arm hug. 

“Is anyone gonna tell me what this scrumptious smell is or do I have to beg?” Oikawa interrupted the three other men, wandering into the kitchen and snooping around to find the source of the smell. His eyes landed on the pie. “Did you make that?” He asked Kuroo, an incredulous stare boring holes into Kuroo’s very soul. 

“Nah. Kenma really likes apple pie, so it’s kind of a tradition to bake one together on his birthday.” Kuroo turned when he noticed Akaashi and Kenma enter the kitchen behind Oikawa. “Speaking of the man of the hour!” 

“Hey, Tooru. I could hear you all the way from my room.” Kenma greeted, his Nintendo Switch now glued to his hands. 

Oikawa leapt at Kenma, wrapping his arms around him and squeezing tightly. “Happy birthday, Ken-chan!”

Akaashi looked Oikawa up and down, realizing that he was finally getting to meet the person that Kenma had been spending most of his free time with. He stuck out his hand. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Oikawa-san. I’m Akaashi.” He bowed slightly once Oikawa had taken his hand. Oikawa grinned in amusement.

“Iwa-chan, you didn’t tell me there’d be cute boys here tonight. I would’ve dressed up a little.” Oikawa reciprocated Akaashi’s bow and smiled sweetly. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes. _Tooru still flirts with everything that has a pulse. Akaashi has a damn boyfriend, for crying out loud._

“You already took over an hour to get ready, Shittykawa. That’s why we were late.” Iwaizumi brushed past Oikawa and Akaashi to get out of the kitchen, trying not to look at the way Oikawa’s hand lingered in Akaashi’s. It was getting too cramped in that tiny kitchen, anyway.

“That cute boy is mine!” Bokuto was at Akaashi’s side in a flash, pressing a chaste kiss to his boyfriend’s temple. Oikawa let go of Akaashi’s hand. 

“That’s just how Shittykawa is!” Iwaizumi called from the living room.

“Rude, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa laughed lightly, turning to Kenma and striking up a conversation about whatever he was doing on his Switch to get away from the awkward situation.

Kuroo watched the whole scene unfold, raising an eyebrow at Oikawa’s peculiar behavior. He had wondered why Kenma had avoided the subject of Oikawa’s sexuality altogether. _Oikawa Tooru liked boys. Maybe?_ Kuroo considered the possibility for a second, watching how Oikawa interacted with Kenma, before getting too uncomfortable with the thought of Oikawa possibly having feelings for Kenma. 

He clapped his hands together, startling Oikawa and earning a glare from Kenma.

“Well, let’s not just stand around all night! We’re here to have a good time!” Kuroo started to unpack the bottles of alcohol. “Haji, can you order the pizza?”

“Sure, what’re we gettin’ on it?” Iwaizumi walked back into the kitchen, leaning against the counter and listening to Kuroo as Kuroo told him what kind of pizzas to get. 

“How many Wii remotes do you guys have, again?” Bokuto was kneeling in front of the TV, placing Just Dance into the disc drive. 

“Six.” Kenma looked up from his Switch. “But Just Dance only allows four at a time.” 

“Perfect, we’ll do teams! Oikawa and Iwajumi versus you and Kuroo versus me and Akaashi!” Bokuto started to fish around for the Wii remotes when Kuroo and Iwaizumi arrived in the living room, placing about nine bottles of a variety of alcohol on the coffee table.

“Okay, let’s dance until the pizza gets here, then we’ll eat, then we’re gonna drink until we die.” Kuroo grinned and Kenma raised his eyebrows at him.

“Kuroo-san, I really don’t want to have to carry Bokuto across campus when he’s blacked out.” Akaashi protested, but Kuroo just waved him off dismissively.

“You guys can sleep over if you want. We’re all gonna be too drunk, anyways.” Kuroo offered. Akaashi seemed satisfied with his plan and sat down on the couch, watching his boyfriend excitedly assign people to certain songs.

The boys broke off into their groups. Round 1 consisted of Kenma, Bokuto, and Iwaizumi dancing to Take On Me by a-ha. Unsurprisingly, Bokuto went too hard and ended up almost smacking Iwaizumi in the face multiple times. Halfway through Kenma decided that sitting down and waving the Wii remote to the dance moves would be far more efficient. He sat next to Kuroo and managed to keep his eyes on the screen; Kenma won by a landslide, with Bokuto in last place and Iwaizumi doing his best at second. Bokuto sank down into the couch next to Akaashi, who consoled him as he took the Wii remote from his sulking boyfriend. 

The next round consisted of Oikawa, Akaashi, and Kuroo dancing to Pump It by The Black Eyed Peas. Oikawa exaggerated his movements in an attempt to stand out, causing Kuroo to try even harder to outshine him. Akaashi kept up well with the dance movements, but found himself being severely outdone by Oikawa and Kuroo trying to beat each other. Kenma and Iwaizumi sat on the couch, chuckling at the two fools trying to keep up with each other, while Bokuto stood behind them mimicking their movements. He couldn't just _not_ dance.

“Iwa-chan, watch me dance!!” Oikawa demanded when he noticed Iwaizumi typing something on his phone.

“You’re pretty hard to miss, Trashykawa.”

After several more rounds of exaggerated dance movements, as well as Bokuto’s continuous dancing, everyone was exhausted and sweaty. However, Bokuto and Kuroo stepped up to perform a duet. They put on Beautiful Liar by Beyoncé featuring Shakira. Kuroo took the starting position of Beyoncé while Bokuto started his performance as Shakira. The two danced their hearts out, specifically their hips.

Bokuto moved over to Akaashi as his solo came on and began to dance on him, showing Akaashi just how much his hips did not lie. Akaashi’s face went bright red and he held his face in his hands as Oikawa laughed and applauded. Bokuto and Kuroo returned to the center of the living room, and stood back-to-back as they wiggled their hips and bent down as low as they could go. The two burst out into laughter as they fell onto the ground once the song finished, causing the rest of the group to laugh along with them. Oikawa cheered from the couch while the other boys blushed from their provocative movements.

Kuroo looked over at Kenma, his chest heaving and his forehead drenched in sweat, searching his face for a reaction to his dancing. Kenma refused to meet Kuroo’s gaze, keeping his head low and buried in the hoodie that just so happened to be Kuroo’s, and jumped up when the doorbell suddenly rang.

“I’ll get it. It’s probably the pizza.” Kenma muttered before rushing to the front door. Kuroo sighed and raised an eyebrow before he got to his feet, helping Bokuto up once he was standing. 

Kenma returned with four boxes of pizza and set them on the floor in the living room before he fetched some plates and cups from the kitchen, trying his best to avoid Kuroo until he had calmed down. The boys sat in a circle on the floor with their plates, ready to devour the pizza when they got the chance. Within ten minutes, three of the four boxes of pizza were gone, most of it due to Bokuto and Kuroo racing to see who could finish a box of pizza first. 

Oikawa was already a couple of drinks in after managing to eat two slices of pizza, while both Akaashi and Kenma were sober and taking their time enjoying the pizza.

Iwaizumi was too busy pouring himself another drink to care. If he was going to spend the night with a drunk Oikawa, he’d need more than a couple of drinks in his system. 

“Guys,” Bokuto said, his mouth full of pizza, “we should play Never Have I Ever.” 

Oikawa gasped and slammed his cup down on the carpet after finishing off his third cup of straight vodka. “That is a great idea, Bokuto-kun!” 

“I don’t think Oikawa needs another reason to keep drinking.” Iwaizumi protested, reaching for the vodka bottle that Oikawa was now cradling.

“Aw, c’mon, Iwa-chan! It’ll be fun. Don’t be such a party pooper.” 

“I’ll get the shot glasses!” Kuroo jumped up and hurried to the kitchen, returning with six shot glasses and distributing them among his friends. Kenma eyed his shot glass as Kuroo filled it up with sake. He didn’t like drinking, and he especially didn’t like it when Kuroo drank because he acted stupid when he was drunk. He was lucky that Kuroo was not a lightweight. 

Kuroo sloppily filled the shot glasses and distributed them among the group, and downed his first.

“Bro, that’s not how you play!” Bokuto complained, pouting at Kuroo.

“I know, I just needed to prepare myself for the shit storm that is this game.” Akaashi filled his shot glass again before starting the game. “Okay, I’ll go first...never have I ever had a fantasy about a professor.” 

Kuroo snorted as Oikawa and Iwaizumi took a shot.

“Okay…” Oikawa filled up his and Iwaizumi’s glasses before continuing, “never have I ever been sent to the hospital because my best friend hit me so hard in the head with a door that I passed out.” Oikawa winked at Iwaizumi and everyone raised their eyebrows at the two best friends.

“What the fuck happened?” Kuroo managed to ask in between laughs. Iwaizumi smacked Oikawa in the back of the head.

“Why are you reminding me of this, Shittykawa?” 

“Listen, Iwa-chan, it was hilarious. They need to hear this.”

Iwaizumi sighed. “So _apparently_ , last fall Tooru was concerned about me because I was sleeping in unusually late which caused him to keep banging on my fucking door like a maniac. So, I got up to open the door but Oikawa literally kicked down the damn door like an idiot and hit me so hard with it that I blacked out. Next thing I know, I’m in the hospital and Oikawa is crying over my unconscious body.”

The group erupted into laughter at Iwaizumi’s story, while Iwaizumi blushed in embarrassment.

“Yeah, Iwa-chan really freaked me out, I thought I killed him at first. Now it’s just funny and I tell everyone about it.”

The conversation suddenly took a sharp turn into embarrassing stories, Kuroo and Bokuto spoke about the time they almost got arrested together, and the boys discussed stupid things they did back in high school. 

After returning to the game, a few rounds went by and Bokuto fell back onto the carpet in a fit of giggles, calming down just enough for him to continue with the next statement. 

“Alright, alright.” Bokuto wiped a tear from his eye and took a deep breath before speaking again. “Never have I ever kissed a girl.” 

Oikawa, Kuroo, and Akaashi took their shots, and Bokuto frowned at Akaashi.

“When have you ever kissed a girl?” Bokuto whined. Akaashi gave Bokuto a small smile and leaned into him, turning his face toward the ceiling as he tried to recall the memory.

“I was twelve years old, Bokuto-san. I barely remember it—I think she kissed me and then ran off. I didn’t even know her name.” 

Bokuto grinned and threw his arms around Akaashi’s shoulders, giving him a light peck on the cheek. “Then it doesn’t count! Next!” 

Kuroo thought for a moment before grinning. “Never have I ever kissed a boy.” 

Everyone took a shot, excluding the petite blonde sitting next to him, and Kuroo raised his eyebrows in mild shock at Oikawa. He wanted to jump up and scream ‘I knew it!’ at the top of his lungs. However, the thought of Oikawa possibly having feelings for Kenma sobered him up, and he decided against commenting on the matter. 

Iwaizumi could not take his eyes off of Oikawa as he watched him take his shot. “You’ve kissed a guy?” 

“Yeah, and what about it?” 

“When?”

“I don’t have to tell you everything about my life, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa filled up his glass without another word and Iwaizumi continued to stare at his best friend in shock.

 _Why didn’t he tell me something so important?_ Iwaizumi reasoned.

Kenma looked over at Akaashi, who was far too sober, and decided to take a dig at him and Bokuto.

“So anyways, never have I ever kissed my best friend.” Kenma quipped, trying to change the subject.

Bokuto grabbed the bottle of sake and finished it off as Akaashi glared at Kenma, taking a shot. “Kenma, why do you hate me?”

Kenma simply smiled to himself as Bokuto got even more intoxicated.

“Iwashumi, you haven’t asked a question yet.” Bokuto slurred, cradling the empty sake bottle in between his knees.

Iwaizumi snapped out of his thoughts and glanced at Oikawa before speaking. 

“Never have I ever doubted my sexuality.”

The room was silent as everyone, except for Kuroo, downed a shot. Bokuto looked over at Kuroo, who was staring at Kenma in confusion.

Bokuto laughed when Kuroo met his gaze. “Bro, you better take that fucking shot.”

Akaashi quickly elbowed Bokuto at his remark, but the damage was done. Kenma turned towards Kuroo expectantly, and Kuroo began to blush.

Kuroo looked away from the group and took the shot. His face was bright red, and he didn’t know if it was from the sake or from finally admitting that he questioned his sexuality. 

“Well, we should all go to bed. Bokuto, Kuroo, and I have practice in the morning.” Akaashi looked down at his boyfriend, who was beginning to get comfortable in his lap. “Kuroo, can we borrow your room for tonight?”

Kuroo blinked, snapping out of his shock at the unexpected information that he was still trying to process, and scratched the back of his head. “Uh, sure.” Kuroo stood up, taking a moment to regain his balance before wandering off to his room. “Lemme just grab something.” 

“Yeah, it’s time for us to head out, too.” Iwaizumi called an Uber before he stood up and stretched, grabbing Oikawa’s arm and slinging it around his shoulders.

“Iwa-channn, I don’t wanna leave! We don’t even have anything to do tomorrow, can’t we stay a lil longer??” Oikawa whined, earning a glare from Iwaizumi.

“Oikawa, if you don’t shut the fuck up, you’ll be the one with a concussion.” 

Kuroo returned from his room with a small box in his pocket. He helped Iwaizumi collect Oikawa’s shoes from the foyer before walking them out to their Uber and seeing them off. When he returned to the apartment, he found Kenma kneeling on the floor by himself, collecting the cups and plates.

“Akaashi took Bokuto to bed.” Kenma said, his arms full of cups and paper plates. Kuroo took the cups and plates from him, heading to the kitchen to throw them away. Kenma started to break down the pizza boxes while Kuroo came back for the empty alcohol bottles.

“You know...you can sleep in my room tonight...if you want.” Kenma said slowly, his gaze focused on the pizza boxes in front of him. 

“Thanks.” Kuroo said, worried that Kenma would feel uncomfortable sleeping in the same bed as him now that he knew he was questioning his sexuality. But then he remembered that Kenma was the one who made the offer, and he relaxed. The two finished cleaning up the kitchen before turning out the lights and heading to Kenma’s room. 

Kenma flopped onto his bed, which was surprisingly clean and visible, while Kuroo felt around for the small box in his pocket. He sat on the edge of the bed and placed the box on the bed in between the two of them. Kenma raised his eyebrow at Kuroo, but reached for the box, nonetheless.

“Happy birthday, kitten.” Kuroo smiled as Kenma opened the box to reveal a kitten charm and a pudding charm for his phone. 

“Kuro, when are you gonna get over my hair?” 

Kuroo laughed to himself, he would never get over it. Kenma could not hide the small smile that fought its way onto his face as he closed the box and climbed over to Kuroo, gently placing his arms around his neck.

“Thank you, Kuro.”


	13. Friday, October 20th + Saturday, October 21st

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A N G S T

“Tooru, I’m going to beat the shit out of you if we don’t leave this locker room in ten seconds.” Iwaizumi groaned as he watched Oikawa fix his hair in the mirror for the umpteenth time. The two had arrived at the gym twenty minutes ago and had spent about eighteen minutes in the locker room while Oikawa messed with his appearance.

“I cannot make an appearance looking like this, Iwa-chan. That would be unheard of from me!” Oikawa protested, sitting down to re-tie his shoelaces. 

“I can assure you, Tooru, you look fine.” Iwaizumi glared down at Oikawa as he continued to tie his shoes, but jolted back when Oikawa’s eyes suddenly snapped up to meet his.

“Wow, you really mean that, Iwa-chan?” Oikawa bounced up to his feet and slung an arm around Iwaizumi’s neck. “Let’s go, then! If my best friend thinks I look good, then I look good! Even though his fashion sense is questionable at times.” Oikawa snickered and ducked just in time to dodge Iwaizumi’s fist.

The two best friends exited the locker room and made their way to the bench racks, where Iwaizumi sat down on the bench to show Oikawa how to do the exercise properly and avoid ruining his back. Oikawa watched on dutifully, making sure to keep his mouth shut to keep the drool at bay. Iwaizumi’s shoulder muscles were always a sight to behold. But his vision was blocked once a girl had stepped in front of him. Oikawa cocked his head to the side in curiosity as she began to talk to Iwaizumi.

“Need a spot?” Iwaizumi looked up to find Yasu, the girl that had approached him the first day he had come to the gym with Kuroo. She had managed to squeeze herself between Oikawa and the bench, and was totally ignoring the former setter. Yasu flashed Iwaizumi a smile once he had sat up, leaning an arm on the bar. He mirrored her smile, which made Oikawa’s curiosity turn into slight jealousy, evident by the scowl that had just settled across his face.

Oikawa raised his eyebrow.  _ Who’s this bitch? _

“No, I’ll be alright.” Iwaizumi declined politely. 

“Awe, Iwa-kun, you never let me spot you.” Yasu pouted, earning a light chuckle from Iwaizumi.

“Maybe one of these days we can work out together.” Iwaizumi offered, still smiling politely. Oikawa’s eyes widened slightly, totally shocked at Iwaizumi’s behavior around this girl. Usually, he was quiet and shy around members of the female species, but not today. Not with her.

“I’d love that, Iwaizumi-kun.” Yasu batted her eyelashes at him and pushed her chest out even further. Iwaizumi averted his eyes nervously, trying to be respectful. His eyes flitted up to Oikawa, who was glaring daggers at Yasu. He cleared his throat.

“Besides, I’ve got this guy to spot me—just in case.” Iwaizumi gestured to Oikawa, who could not contain the scowl on his face.  _ Say hello. _ Iwaizumi mouthed to Oikawa as Yasu turned to greet Oikawa, pretending as if she had never noticed him.

“Hi! Sorry, I didn’t see you there before.” Yasu sized up Oikawa with a quick sweep of her eyes. Her head tilted to the side slightly. “Actually, I’ve never seen you in here before. I’m Yasu. I’m a personal trainer here. What’s your name?”

“Oikawa.” Oikawa answered curtly. He saw Iwaizumi’s jaw clench and he reluctantly continued. “Yeah, I don’t come here often. I only come if Iwaizumi wants company.”

“Oh? How do you know Iwaizumi?” Yasu pressed, her smile becoming more and more fake as their conversation continued. 

“We’re roommates.” Oikawa said, his lips still set in a straight line. He hadn’t noticed it, but he was looking at Yasu down his nose, which was held high in the air. Iwaizumi could pick up on when Oikawa didn’t like people, and now was one of those times.

“That sucks, Iwaizumi-kun.” Yasu puted as she turned to Iwaizumi and leaned forward to rest her elbows on the bar, giving Iwaizumi an unnecessary view of her chest. “I’m sorry you had to get matched up with a random—” 

“Actually, I’ve known  _ Hajime _ since we were toddlers.” Oikawa interjected, a sly smile settling on to his face. He raised his nose higher in the air. 

“Oh, excuse me. I didn’t know.”

“It’s perfectly fine, Yasu-chan. How could you? Since you’ve only known Iwa-chan for a couple of weeks.” Oikawa bent down to look Yasu square in the eyes, and she leaned away from him, her back pressing against the bar.

“U—um, well, I should get going. I’ll text you later, Iwa-kun!” Yasu stammered before freeing herself from between Oikawa and the bar and fleeing the scene. Iwaizumi nodded as he watched her scurry off, feeling somewhat pleased that he managed to witness Oikawa having a conversation with a girl that he didn’t want to mess around with. Iwaizumi positioned himself back on the bench, preparing to lay down and finally begin working out.

“Well...that was new.” Oikawa pursed his lips and sent Iwaizumi a suspicious look, folding his arms over his chest.

“What?” Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow at Oikawa, who was once again being dramatic.

“You were totally flirting with that girl!” Oikawa pressed, his voice raising an octave higher.

“No I wasn’t?” Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow at Oikawa’s reaction, given that Oikawa flirted with every single living thing in front of him all the time.

“Iwa-chan, don’t give me that shit. You were doing that little half smile thing you do when you think someone’s cute!” 

“I was just being nice to her, Shittykawa! I know her from before.” Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and laid back down on the bench, positioning his hands on the bar above his chest so he could begin his repetitions.

“From before?” Oikawa put his hands out beside Iwaizumi’s head, just in case he couldn’t bear the weight. Iwaizumi went through his reps and Oikawa nervously awaited his answer, a million questions running through his mind.  _ What did he mean he knew that girl from before? Have they gone out? Does he like her? She’s hardly his type, what could he see in— _

“She’s just approached me a few times whenever Kuroo and I come here.” Iwaizumi got up and motioned for Oikawa to sit down and do his set. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

Oikawa hesitantly sat down, taking the dumbbells that Iwaizumi handed him. “I mean, she seems pretty smitten with you. How come you’ve never told me about her?” He laid down to begin his set and Iwaizumi paused.

“I don’t feel anything for her, she’s just a friend. Besides, I didn’t realize I had to tell you every single detail about my life.” Iwaizumi joked. Oikawa sat up, rested the dumbbells against his thighs, and blinked at Oikawa. Slowly, a smile stretched across his face.

“You’re right, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa tilted his head to the side and closed his eyes in a wide smile. “You absolutely do not have to tell me everything.” Oikawa laid back down on the bench and started his set, leaving Iwaizumi confused and speechless. Oikawa had never behaved so fakely toward him and he was mildly concerned.

The two best friends finished their workout in uncomfortable silence, Oikawa only giving one-word answers and using head motions to communicate with Iwaizumi. Oikawa had given Iwaizumi the silent treatment before, so he wasn’t worried about it. He knew it would end in less than an hour like all of the other times, but he became angrier with each hour that passed by without meaningful communication from his best friend.

The minute the two boys entered their apartment after a completely silent walk home from the gym, Iwaizumi decided that he had had enough.

“Tooru, what the fuck is your problem?” Iwaizumi slammed the door shut behind him, turning on his heel to stare at Oikawa.

“I’m perfectly fine, Hajime, I don’t know what you mean.” Oikawa brushed past Iwaizumi to go to the bathroom and take a shower, but was stopped by Iwaizumi’s arm.

“I know you, Tooru.” Iwaizumi's gaze captivated Oikawa, who struggled to regain his composure. “I know when something’s wrong. You’ve barely spoken a word to me for two hours.” Iwaizumi let his arm fall to his. “Is this about that girl?”

“No, why would it be?”

“I don’t know. But that’s the only thing I can think of.” Iwaizumi shrugged. Oikawa thought he looked kind of helpless, and he felt bad. His jaw softened and his shoulders relaxed.

“Well, I mean, I am kind of hurt that you didn’t tell me about this girl that you apparently like so much.” Oikawa refused to meet Iwaizumi’s gaze.

“For the last time, Tooru, I don’t like her.”

“Then why were you flirting with her? I’ve never seen you act like that around anyone!” Oikawa crossed his arms over his chest and shifted his weight to one foot, jutting out his hip. He stared Iwaizumi down. 

“That’s rich coming from you! You flirt with everything under the sun but it doesn’t bother me!” Iwaizumi lied. Of course, it bothered him more than he could express in words, but he would never purposely try to make Oikawa feel bad about who he was. 

“Well, maybe I want it to bother you!” Oikawa was yelling now, and his eyes were blinking rapidly to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill over. Iwaizumi jerked his head back, a scowl tightening his features.

“Wow, Tooru, I didn’t realize that everything you do is meant to make me suffer.” 

“No, Hajime, everything I do...I do because I’m in love with you and I don’t know how to make you realize it!” Oikawa’s face was wet with tears now and his voice was thick with phlegm. He rushed to grab his gym bag with his change of clothes inside before he fled the apartment, leaving the door open behind him.

Iwaizumi ran to the apartment door, which was banging against the wall due to the brisk wind outside. Once Iwaizumi had made it outside, Oikawa was gone. He trudged back inside, gently closing the front door behind him and moving to sit down on the couch. He put his head in his hands.

_ What the fuck just happened? _

* * *

Kenma received a call from Oikawa about thirty minutes past midnight, he heard the ringing through his headphones and decided to see who was calling. Oikawa had never called him before, he kept his teasing through texts and sometimes audio messages, but never phone calls. So, Kenma picked up his phone and answered his call.

“Hello?”

“Kenma, can I—can I come over for a bit? I really messed up and I can’t go back to my apartment right now.” Oikawa stuttered, trying not to let out a sob.

Kenma, who was extremely confused, answered quickly. “Yeah...yeah, that’s fine, just text me when you get here. Are you okay?”

“I’ll explain when I get there. Thank you, pudding-chan.”

“You’re welcome, see you soon.”

“See you soon.” Kenma’s phone shut off when the call ended. Kenma and Oikawa’s relationship had mostly been teasing and making jokes at the other’s expense, and the only time they had talked seriously was when they talked about the boys they were pining after. Kenma wondered what had happened for Oikawa to act like this. He assumed it had something to do with Iwaizumi, given he couldn’t go back to their apartment. 

About twenty minutes later, Kenma received a text from Oikawa, letting him know he was outside. Kenma quietly slipped from his room to the front door, trying not to disturb Kuroo in case he was sleeping or doing homework.

Kenma had never seen Oikawa cry before, and once he opened the door he decided it was not a good look on him.

“Sorry, Ken-chan. I hope I’m not bothering you too much.”

“It’s alright, let’s go to my room. I don’t wanna bother Kuroo.”

Oikawa slipped his shoes off and followed after Kenma. When they got to his room, Kenma sat on his bed and looked at him expectantly.

“What happened?”

Oikawa sighed, running his hands through his hair. “I told Iwaizumi I loved him.”

Kenma’s eyebrows raised, a million questions running through his head. “Did it not go well?”

“No, not really.” Oikawa groaned, sitting beside Kenma on his bed. “I’ve dreamt about the day I would finally tell Iwaizumi I loved him for so long, I’ve planned my speech for years. I had an amazing plan, and I told myself that no matter how he responded, it wouldn’t ruin our friendship. But instead, I ruined everything.”

“Okay, tell me what happened.”

Oikawa explained to him exactly what had happened, thoroughly explaining every detail of their trip to the gym. When he told him about his confession and how he had run away, Kenma audibly took a breath in.

“Why would you run away? Oikawa, you didn’t even let him react. You didn’t even give him the chance to respond.”

“I was too scared. I thought I would be okay if he said he didn’t feel the same way, but once I saw the look on his face when I said it, I just couldn’t be there anymore. My body moved on it’s own and I was running out of the apartment. If he didn’t hate me before he must hate me now.” Oikawa replied, his voice cracking at the end.

Oikawa began to cry again, tears ran down his face and dry, racking sobs echoed throughout Kenma’s bedroom. Kenma was never very good at comforting people, and he definitely did not know how to help Oikawa. He thought of what Kuroo would do, and scooted over to Oikawa, wrapping his arms around him as he sobbed into his chest. Kenma awkwardly patted his back, hoping to comfort him in some way.

Kenma heard shuffling from the other room, and assumed Kuroo had heard them. He hoped he wouldn’t come into his room, as he hadn’t really asked Kuroo if Oikawa could come over. Kuroo had been busy, and Oikawa was kind of going through something at the moment so he had accepted right away without asking him.

Kenma’s door swung open and Kuroo stood in the doorway.

“Kenma, why are you making so much—” Kuroo began, stopping abruptly when he saw Oikawa being hugged by Kenma. Oikawa’s face was still buried in Kenma’s chest, his arms around Kenma’s waist. Kenma’s chin rested on Oikawa’s head and a shocked look painted his face.

“God, I am  _ so _ done with this.” Kuroo mumbled, slamming the door in his wake. He quickly gathered some of his belongings and headed for the front door.

Kenma sat, shocked at what had just happened. He knew Kuroo didn’t like Oikawa but he was being totally unreasonable. He knew he should have asked before Oikawa came, but Oikawa needed somewhere to go, and Kuroo didn’t even give him a chance to explain. Kenma couldn’t understand why Kuroo disliked him so much, Kenma had disliked some of Kuroo’s friends in the past but never said anything. Kenma felt the urge to go after him and looked down at Oikawa who looked just as confused.

“I—” 

“Go after him. I’ll be fine, Ken-chan. I cried the whole way over here anyways, so I’m gonna take a moment to collect myself.”

Kenma nodded.

“Okay, I’ll be back.”

Kenma hurried towards the door that Kuroo had just slammed. He slipped on his sandals, trying to catch up with Kuroo, who was already dressed and leaving their apartment. Kenma ran after him, his heart starting to race. He swung open the door of their apartment and pursued the raven-haired boy.

“Kuro, stop! Where are you even going?”

“Why do you even fucking care, Kenma?”

“What do you mean? What’s your problem?”

“You know what Kenma, you. You are my problem, so just stay away from me because I can’t be around you right now.”

“Kuro, what did I do?” Kuroo stopped and turned towards the boy, hearing a waver in his voice. Kenma’s eyes were glassy and met his as the wind picked up. Kenma shivered in response, trying to will himself to not cry.

Kuroo hesitated, looking at the boy in front of him. Kuroo wanted to apologize, to comfort him, but he knew he shouldn’t do that anymore. It was only hurting him.

“Nothing, Kenma. I just gotta go before I say something I regret.” With that, Kuroo continued to walk down the sidewalk until he turned the corner and disappeared from Kenma’s line of sight.

Kenma stood there and watched him walk away, hoping he would turn around. When he didn’t, Kenma turned around and trudged back to their apartment, unable to find solace in the one person he wanted it from. He made his way back to Oikawa, who would have to try and help him pick up the pieces.


	14. Saturday, October 21st

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for your beautiful + wonderful comments (even if some of y'all are hating us for the angst in the last chapter lol) WELL prepare for more angst but also tons of fluff in this chapter. ALSO special appearance by one of my (coocoocatchoo's) fav ships :3 ENJOY !! (its a v long chapter, grab something to drink + relax lol)  
> also this chapter has implicit sexual content, not explicit though, but this is a warning for that :)

“Bo!” Kuroo banged on Bokuto and Akaashi’s front door, cursing himself for being too blind with jealous rage to bring his spare key to Bokuto’s place. “Open up!”

It took Bokuto all of five seconds to reach the door with his hair wild, his chest bare, and his sweatpants halfway on.

“Bro, what is it? Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Bokuto took one look at Kuroo’s tear-stained face before grabbing him by the arm, pulling him inside, and sitting him down on the couch. The lights were flipped on, revealing a flushed, seething Akaashi Keiji, who had wrapped himself in a blanket.

“Kuroo-san.” Akaashi sat down on the couch next to Kuroo and took a deep breath. “You better have a good reason to interrupt us at one in the morning.”

“Interrupt? What would you guys even be—” It was then that Kuroo noticed the small, rosy marks on Akaashi’s neck and shoulders. He turned to look at Bokuto, who was busy locking the door, and noticed the red marks down his back. Kuroo gasped and covered his mouth with his hands. “Akaashi, I’m so sorry.”

Akaashi waved him off dismissively as Bokuto returned and sat down next to Kuroo.

“So what happened, dude? Is Kenma okay?” Bokuto pressed. 

“Kenma is okay. In fact, he is doing so okay that he’s all cuddled up with Oikawa Tooru in _our apartment.”_ Kuroo hissed, clenching his fist at the image that would not leave his mind. Seeing Oikawa’s arms wrapped around Kenma’s waist like his own had done so many times made Kuroo’s blood boil.

“Are you serious?” Bokuto gasped. He had known that Oikawa was a fishy guy. He felt guilty for not warning Kuroo about him earlier.

“Yeah. I don’t know what I walked in on, but they were just hugging. But I got so pissed, I just…” Kuroo trailed off, taking a deep breath to keep himself from crying. “I yelled at Kenma. It was bad.”

“What did you tell him?” Akaashi asked quietly. Kuroo groaned.

“I told him to stay away from me.” Kuroo shook his head. “That’s the opposite of what I want.” 

“Well, what exactly do you want?” Akaashi pressed gently. 

“I just want him to be here. I wanna tell him I’m sorry. I wanna tell him that if he wants to be with Oikawa—” Kuroo’s throat began to clench as it tried to choke the sob that threatened to bubble up, “he should go for it. I’d do anything to see that kid happy.” Kuroo folded over, feeling nauseous, and cradled his head in his hands. Bokuto offered him a couple of light pats on the back and Akaashi started to rub his back in an attempt to soothe the mourning middle blocker.

Bokuto and Akaashi locked eyes over Kuroo’s sobbing form.

 _You tell him._ Bokuto’s eyebrows raised as he flickered his forceful gaze from Kuroo to Akaashi. Akaashi narrowed his eyes.

 _He’s your best friend, you do it._ Akaashi’s eyes protested. Bokuto pouted; he wasn’t sure how to go about this. Kuroo had been the one to help him realize his feelings for Akaashi, but Bokuto knew he did not have nearly the same amount of finesse and cunning that Kuroo had. 

This was going to be a bit messy.

“Say...Tetsu-kun.” Bokuto started hesitantly. Kuroo sniffled in response. “Don’t you think you and Kenma are really close?” 

Kuroo lifted his head up and scowled at Bokuto. “Duh? We’ve been friends since we were kids.”

“Okay...you and I are also really close. But it’s not the same.” Bokuto continued. At this point he was flying by the seat of his pants. 

“Bo, do you have a point or…?” Kuroo rubbed his nose with the back of his hand and wiped it on his pants. Akaashi wrinkled his nose and got up to get a box of tissues.

“Well, I think that...maybe...Kenma’s more than just a friend to you. You’re, like, really protective of him and...you guys are so touchy with each other.” Bokuto looked up to see Akaashi return with the box of tissues. “Kinda like how I am with ‘Kaashi, ya know?”

“I mean, I’ve been best friends with Kenma since we were kids. He’s like a little brother to me.” Kuroo answered lamely. Akaashi rolled his eyes.

“Do brothers cuddle in bed? On the couch? Do brothers get mad when they see another guy being close with them?” Bokuto pressed. Kuroo scowled.

“What exactly are you trying to say, Koutarou?” Kuroo was on the defensive. He had a premonition of what was being implied, but he wasn’t having any of it. He was straight. Or at least, he thought he was.

“Kuroo, what Kou is trying to say is...we think you might have feelings for Kozume-kun.” Akaashi interjected, fingers gripping the sides of the tissue box as Kuroo pulled a tissue from it. He blew his nose. He didn’t say anything after that. 

Were Akaashi and Bokuto seeing the same things that Sachiko saw? Was it really that obvious? Did everyone know that he had feelings for Kenma except him?

Kuroo had always wondered why his prior relationships with girls didn’t always work out. Maybe it was because Kuroo wasn’t only attracted to girls. 

Kuroo stood abruptly, startling Bokuto.

“Bro, you’re not mad are you? I was just trying to help!” Bokuto pleaded, watching as Kuroo made his way to the front door.

“I—I just need to go clear my head.” Kuroo paused to look back at the couple. “Thanks for being here for me, guys. I really appreciate it.” 

“Bro, you know I’ve always gotchu.” Bokuto promised, grinning widely. Kuroo couldn’t help but mirror his smile. 

“Don’t wait up.” Kuroo called as he opened the door and stepped out into the brisk, night air. 

* * *

After about twenty minutes of Kenma crying and explaining everything to Oikawa, the two went back and forth comforting each other. Oikawa had quickly put his feelings aside to try and reason through what was going on with Kuroo. After a long explanation and a lot of comforting, Oikawa came to a conclusion.

“I think he likes you.”

“Please don’t put that thought in my head, I’ve tried for years to not give myself that hope.”

“I’m just saying, Ken-chan. Kuroo didn’t take his eyes off of you the entire time we were over for your birthday.”

“It was my birthday, that’s why he paid so much attention to me.”

Oikawa propped himself up on his elbow to look at Kenma, who was laying on his back and staring at the ceiling. “Well, he’s definitely not straight. He’s super protective of you and he stares at you a lot, and I mean a lot. The guy can’t keep his eyes off of you, you shouldn’t count yourself out so quick.”

Kenma smiled to himself, bringing his hand to his face before groaning. “Whatever, and what about you?”

“What about me?”

“Iwaizumi likes you.”

Oikawa huffed, sitting up. “No offense Kenma, but I know Iwaizumi, and he does not like me. The only things he feels for me are annoyance and frustration.” He looked at the floor.

Kenma sat up beside him. “Exactly, as someone whose only known you guys for a few months, I can see it. I can see it better than you can, apparently.” Kenma mumbled.

Oikawa shook his head, reaching down to his phone where Iwaizumi’s name repeatedly lit up the screen trying to reach him.

“You should talk to him. Face-to-face.” Kenma pressed.

Oikawa sighed. “I know.”

Oikawa and Kenma sat in silence for a moment, before Oikawa began to pack his belongings. He had taken a moment to successfully gather the courage to talk to Iwaizumi.

“Alright, next time I talk to you I’ll probably be dead. Thank you, Ken-chan.”

Kenma smiled to himself, walking him out of the apartment. “You’re welcome, text me what happens.”

Oikawa promised to text him and left the apartment, beginning the short walk to his apartment. Oikawa took the long way, thinking over exactly what he was going to say Iwaizumi. He needed to apologize and then confess properly, the way he had been planning for years. He just hoped that if Iwaizumi didn’t feel the same way, they could still be friends.

He climbed the stairs to their apartment and took a breath, turning the key to unlock their door. He secretly hoped Iwaizumi would be asleep so he would have more time to compose himself, but that thought quickly left his mind as he saw Iwaizumi sitting on the couch. He perked up when he heard the door open and immediately stood up.

Oikawa felt the urge to run away once again. To run to his room, to run home, to run anywhere but here. Instead, he took a breath and walked into their apartment, setting his bag down on the table.

Iwaizumi approached him. “Dumbass, where were you? It's three in the morning, why’d you run out like that? Why didn’t you answer my calls or texts?”

“Why? Are you worried about me, Iwa-chan?” Oikawa smirked, immediately feeling more like himself.

“Yes, I was worried about you. What the hell? You said all that shit and then ran away from me.”

“I’m sorry. I was scared.”

“Scared of what?” Iwaizumi asked, taking another step towards him.

“Of you.”

Iwaizumi titled his head in confusion. “What? What does that even mean?”

“You know what it means.”

“You don’t mean that. I know you, Oikawa. You don’t like me, it’s not like that.”

“You heard me, it’s exactly like that.”

“What does that even mean?” Iwaizumi questioned.

Oikawa sighed, trying not to let his emotions take over. “It means I wake up every morning excited to see you. It means I’m always thinking about you and what you’re doing. It means I never regretted a single toss to you in high school. It means that with everything I do, I think of you. It means that I’m in love with you, Hajime, and I can’t hide it anymore. I’m sorry if this ruins everything, just please tell me you’ll still be my friend. I can’t stand the thought of not having you in my life. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Hajime.”

When Oikawa started to cry, Iwaizumi closed the gap between them, placing his arms around him.

“God, you’re such a crybaby.”

“Shut up.” Oikawa mumbled in his arms, hugging him back. 

Oikawa struggled to meet Iwaizumi’s gaze when they separated, still in each other’s arms. “Well, are you gonna respond to my confession? You kinda left me hanging there, Iwa-chan.”

Iwaizumi laughed. “You’re so stupid. God, Tooru, I’ve only ever dreamed of you saying stuff like that.” Iwaizumi blushed, averting his gaze. 

Iwaizumi rubbed the back of his head.

“I love you, Tooru.” Iwaizumi said, leaning in slightly, feeling slightly unsure.

Oikawa decided for him, taking his face in his hands and pressing their lips together. Iwaizumi made a noise, shocked at his actions, but gave in and allowed Oikawa to have his way.

When they parted, Oikawa smiled at him, cheeks tinged with pink. 

“I should’ve flirted with a girl in front of you years ago.” Iwaizumi laughed.

“So you admit it! You were flirting with her! Right in front of your boyfriend, too.”

“So you’re my boyfriend now, huh?” Iwaizumi teased.

Oikawa blushed, breaking free from his arms and walking over to the couch. “Don’t change the topic now, Iwa-chan.”

Iwaizumi laughed again, joining him on the couch. They had a lot to talk about.

* * *

“What’ll you have?” The red-haired bartender smiled at Kuroo, his elbows leaning against his side of the bar. 

“Can I just get a Whiskey Highball? Mostly whiskey though.” Kuroo slapped down the appropriate amount of yen. The bartender eyed him.

“Keep your money, Kuroo-kun, I’ll put it on my man’s tab.” The bartender’s smile turned into a grin as Kuroo looked up at him, getting a better look at his face.

“Do I know you?” Kuroo asked slowly, finding no familiarity in the bartender's fiery red gaze.

“What, you don’t recognize me?” The bartender giggled and shrugged. “That’s to be expected. Maybe you’ll recognize my man.” The bartender vanished into thin air, but returned shortly, grinning proudly at someone behind Kuroo. Kuroo whipped around quickly, causing his bar stool to swivel just a bit too far. His jaw dropped.

“Ushiwaka?” Kuroo turned back around to face the bartender, whose grinned seemed permanent. “ _He’s_ your man?” 

“Yes, Tendou is my partner.” Ushijima affirmed, settling onto the bar stool next to Kuroo and accepting the Shirley Temple that Tendou had placed in front of him. 

“Waka-kun, don’t you recognize him? He’s the head cat from Nekoma!” Tendou jogged Ushijima’s memory and Ushijima met Kuroo’s wide stare.

“Yes, we beat you at nationals during our second year.” Ushijima bowed his head slightly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you again, Kuroo Tetsurou.” 

“What’s wrong, Kuroo-kun? Cat got your tongue?” Tendou giggled at Kuroo’s shock.

Kuroo’s jaw started to ache and he made a conscious effort to close his mouth, reciprocating the bow nervously. How in the hell did end up at the same bar that Tendou worked at? And how in the ever-loving _hell_ was Tendou dating Ushijima? Kuroo grabbed his drink and threw it down his throat, wincing at the carbonation of the club soda and spiciness of the whiskey. Tendou took his glass and filled it again.

He thought back to the game where they had lost to Shiratorizawa, and he recalled that Ushijima had been unusually close with a certain spiky-haired middle blocker. Things made a little more sense. Kuroo managed to compose himself and casually lean against the bar, taking a sip out of his drink.

“I never pegged you to be the type to frequent a bar, Ushiwaka-kun. Especially at,” Kuroo checked his watch, “two in the morning.” 

“I like to keep Tendou company during his shifts.” 

“Correction! Waka-kun likes to scare away any pervs that try to make a move on me.” Tendou interjected, earning a raised eyebrow from his boyfriend.

“When do you sleep, man? Don’t you have practice in the mornings?” 

“I get an adequate amount of sleep for a man my age.” Ushijima narrowed his eyes at Kuroo. “I am curious as to why you are here.”

“Yeah, what’s keeping you up so late? Don’t _you_ have practice in the morning?” Tendou leaned closer to Kuroo, his head propped up on his hands. Kuroo inched away, earning a challenging look from Tendou. He sighed.

 _Am I really about to pour my heart out to Ushiwaka and his boyfriend?_ The only answer he could come up with was _yes_.

“I saw this guy that I might have feelings for being...close with another guy.” Kuroo murmured, keeping his eyes focused on the polished wood of the bar.

“The setter?” Tendou perked up.

“How’d you know that?” Kuroo narrowed his eyes at Tendou, who just shrugged.

“I dunno. You guys just seemed close.”

“We played one game against each other. How would you pick up on that?”

“I’m just good at reading people.” Tendou shrugged once more, this time it was accompanied by a grin.

“Yes, he’s also good at read blocking. It was his speciality in high school.” Ushijima nodded. Tendou giggled at Kuroo’s exasperated look. 

“Anyways. Yes, my setter. I think I might be...attracted to guys, too.” Kuroo picked at a hangnail that had been bothering him since the beginning of that day. Tendou snorted.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed about, Kuroo-kun! So are we.” Tendou gestured between himself and Ushijima. Ushijima nodded once more and Kuroo let out a short laugh. 

“Yeah, that’s pretty obvious. Thanks, Tendou.” Kuroo downed the rest of his drink and slammed the glass back down on the bar with a sharp inhale. Tendou took his glass and replaced it with another full one. “I just don’t know what to do.”

“You should tell the setter how you feel.” Ushijima said thoughtfully. Kuroo smiled wryly.

“Thanks, but no thanks. I kinda fucked things up with him—I said some pretty hurtful things.” 

“You should apologize, then tell him how you feel.” Ushijima offered. Tendou laid a hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder sympathetically.

“Not everyone can be as straightforward as you, dear.” He turned to Kuroo. “Listen, what you need is a rebound.” 

“No way, I’m not into that sort of thing.” Kuroo denied, shaking his head.

“I know someone that would make you be into that sort of thing.” Tendou persisted, winking at him. “Gimme a second.” Tendou bounced away, disappearing into the back.

“You’ve sure got your hands full with that one, Waka.” Kuroo finished his third glass of whiskey and club soda. Ushijima smiled softly.

“He is a good person.” Ushijima promised. Before Kuroo could protest, Tendou returned with another male. He was shorter than Tendou, with golden eyes and equally golden hair that stopped just midway down his neck. He reminded Kuroo of a certain boy that he possibly had feelings for. This guy’s hair was neater—it was dyed blonde all the way to the roots—and looked more natural than Kenma’s had. Another discrepancy between Kenma and this newcomer was the sweet yet mischievous smile that graced his lips.

Tendou took note of Kuroo’s empty glass and made him another drink, swapping it with the empty glass. Kuroo needed to have more liquid courage to go through with Tendou’s idea.

“Kuroo-kun, this is Ken-kun.” Tendou gestured from the blonde to Kuroo and back again. Kuroo leaned forward a bit, his name catching his attention.

“Ken-kun?”

“Kenzou.” He reached out and took Kuroo’s hand gently, shaking it lightly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kuroo-san. Tendou’s told me a lot about you and your situation.”

“I just met Tendou, like, thirty minutes ago.” Kuroo chuckled nervously.

“Well, he told me all of the important things, anyway.” Kenzou let go of Kuroo’s hand after letting his touch linger.

_I just found out I’m attracted to guys, am I really gonna do this?_

“So do you like men, Kuroo-san?” Kenzou asked, causing Kuroo to jolt back a little bit. 

“Um, maybe? I’m not sure.”

“Guys and girls?”

“Uh,” Kuroo thought for a moment, “it doesn't really matter. I guess...I’m not hung up on gender or anything like that.” Kuroo said slowly.

“Ah, it’s nice to meet a fellow pansexual.” Tendou saluted playully. 

“Well, how do I know if I’m...pansexual?” The word felt new on Kuroo’s tongue.

“Well, basically what you said.” Kenzou reasoned. “You’re not limited by someone's gender when it comes to being attracted to them.” 

“But I don’t even know if I’m attracted to guys for sure.” Kuroo sighed. Kenzou leaned across the bar and looked Kuroo square in the face.

“I can help with that.”

* * *

Kenma sat cross legged on his bed, clutching his phone in his hands and staring at the screen. He had sent Kuroo a thousand texts asking where he was, since he had blocked Kenma from seeing his location, but Kuroo had not even opened his messages. He pulled his knees up to his chest as he fell deeper into despair, growing more and more worried as every minute passed.

Kenma heard the click of a door opening, and quickly snapped his head towards the noise. Kuroo was finally home, and Kenma couldn’t stand the thought of going to sleep with Kuroo mad at him. His feet met the ground as he walked over to his door, ready to face Kuroo, when he heard a voice.

“In a rush, are we?” Kenma heard Kuroo chuckle, voice low and raspy. He sounded drunk. Kenma’s hand shied away from his doorknob, becoming aware of the fact that there were two sets of footsteps. Kenma’s heart clenched in his chest, Kuroo had probably brought home a random girl to blow off steam.

“Just shut up and take off your pants.” Kenma froze when he heard the voice of another guy. He stumbled back over to his bed and fell face first into his pillows, curling them around his head to cover his ears. He tried not to think about what was happening in the next room as he felt himself start to cry over Kuroo, for the umpteenth time tonight. That was when the noises started to become louder and Kenma could hear full sentences.

“Wait, shit, keep your voice down, my roommate might be home.” Kuroo managed to say in between heavy kisses.

“What does it matter?” Kenzou pushed him back onto his bed, getting to work unbuckling Kuroo’s pants. Kuroo hesitated as he watched the blonde’s nimble fingers undo his belt with record timing.

“You know what?” Kuroo paused. “It doesn’t.” Kuroo let Kenzou pull his pants down to his knees and Kuroo sat up to nip at the base of Kenzou’s neck, earning a light moan from the other man. 

Kenma’s eyes squeezed shut to prevent the tears from spilling onto his bed. He couldn’t be in the apartment anymore. He couldn’t listen to Kuroo about to have sex with some random guy in the room next to his. Kenma pocketed his phone and pushed himself up off of his bed and hurried out of his room, leaving the door open in his rush. He slipped on his sandals for the second time that night and ran out of the apartment, slamming the door shut in the process. He sent a text to Oikawa as he walked, letting him know in short what had happened and that he was on his way. Oikawa quickly responded and called him immediately, but Kenma hit decline and texted him, not wanting to talk until he got to their apartment.

Kuroo’s head whipped to the side when he heard the door slam, shaking the walls of the small apartment. Kenma had been home—he had heard all of _that_.

Kenzou continued to trail kisses up and down Kuroo’s neck but paused once he noticed Kuroo’s distracted gaze.

“What’s wrong?”

“Huh?” Kuroo turned back toward Kenzou, a sheepish grin making its way onto his lips. “Oh, nothing. Sorry.” Kuroo lurched forward to continue giving Kenzo’s neck attention. Everything was going well, until Kuroo royally screwed up.

“Kenma…” Kuroo moaned, tightening his hold on Kenzou’s hip. Kenzo sat up, untangling his finger’s from Kuroo’s hair. 

“That’s not my name.” Kenzou frowned, eyes searching Kuroo’s for some sort of explanation. Kuroo sighed and lightly pushed Kenzo off of him.

“I’m sorry. I don’t think I can do this.” Kuroo hid his face in his hands. “I think you should go.”

Kenzou scoffed standing up from Kuroo’s bed. “Whatever, see you around I guess.”

The walk to the door was awkward and Kuroo sighed when he shut it after Kenzou had left, sliding down until he reached the floor. Kuroo had never felt worse about any of his actions. Every stupid thing he did in the past paled in comparison to the things he had done tonight. 

Kuroo was in love with Kenma. He had been for a long time, it seemed. Instead of owning up to it, he had only managed to hurt Kenma. _God, Kenma must hate me now._

Kenma probably thought he was a selfish idiot for the way he had acted tonight. He had never hurt Kenma like this before. He felt his breathing become irregular before he realized he was crying. After composing himself, he took out his phone and opened up his texts with Kenma.

Kuroo had about ten concerned and confused texts from Kenma. He wondered if he should text him, to explain or apologize, but he didn’t feel like Kenma would be willing to talk to him. But god, Kuroo wanted to talk to him.

Instead, he hobbled back to his room and cried himself to sleep, mourning his friendship with Kenma.


	15. Sunday, November 5th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyy, we know you hate us right now, but this is the last angsty chapter WE PROMISE. also, i am so sorry. - coocoocatchoo

“Kenma, I am begging you to just text him.” Oikawa begged as Kenma once again occupied space at his and Iwaizumi’s apartment.

“No. I don’t wanna talk to him.”

“Then why do you keep using Iwa-chan to keep tabs on him?” Oikawa countered.

Kenma sighed, putting his PSP down. “I’m just keeping track of him so I can avoid him, that’s all.”

“Kuroo’s never even at your apartment, you don’t have to worry about seeing him.”

“I know. I don’t wanna be alone all the time, though.”

“Aww, Pudding-chan! Wow, the tables really have turned. Remember when you’d straight up ignore me in algebra? Now you spend most of your time at my apartment. Without asking, may I add, but it’s still adorable.” Oikawa teased.

Kenma shrugged, picking up his phone.

No new messages.

It had been two weeks, and not a single text message had been exchanged by the two.

Every time Kenma had gone home he had kept an eye out for Kuroo, but Kuroo had never come home. The day he came back from Oikawa’s apartment, he expected things to be tense and awkward, but they weren’t, because Kuroo wasn’t there. Kenma had no idea how to feel, he wasn’t sure if he was mad at Kuroo or if he was hurt or confused. 

It was hard to be in the next room hearing what Kuroo was up to, especially after all the crying Kenma had just done over him. Kenma still didn’t know what to make of the whole situation, Kuroo had never acted like this in the past. Kuroo was not the type of person to get drunk and bring home someone random. Kuroo and Kenma always knew exactly what the other person was thinking, so not knowing what was going through Kuroo’s head was scary to say the least. Kenma wanted to fix things, but figured that if Kuroo was staying away from him it had to be for some reason, so Kenma would just wait for Kuroo to come home.

“Can you at least text him? A simple ‘are u still alive’ text would probably be great.” Oikawa sighed, settling on the couch beside him.

“Tell him to stop being a dumbass while you’re at it.” Iwaizumi called from the kitchen.

Kenma and Iwaizumi had become friends over the past weeks, after Kenma let Oikawa explain everything to him. Iwaizumi felt for him, he had been just as confused with Oikawa before they got together. 

Although Iwaizumi and Kuroo had only really become friends with Kuroo in the last year, he knew one thing about the guy, he never stopped talking about Kenma. It was always ‘I wonder if Kenma’s doing okay’ or ‘I should buy something for Kenma’ or ‘I wonder if Kenma’s eaten, should I bring him something?’ 

But he thought he should hold his tongue, not knowing all the details of what was going on. Kuroo had not talked to him about it and he didn’t know how to bring it up.

“No, but really, you should talk to him.” Iwaizumi sighed.

“If Kuroo wants to talk, I’m here. I’ll wait for him. Like I always do.” Kenma mumbled to himself.

* * *

“So what’s for dinner?” Kuroo asks from his position on the couch, shoving a few sticks of Pocky into his mouth. Akaashi glares at him.

“Kuroo-san, not that Bokuto doesn’t appreciate you being here, but when are you going back to your own apartment?” Kuroo shrugs. “It’s been two weeks.”

“Until Kenma notices I’m gone and asks me where I am, I’m not going back.” Kuroo pats the couch next to him. “Besides, I like it here.” 

“Don’t you think that Kenma would’ve noticed you’ve been gone by now? He hasn’t contacted you?” Akaashi pressed, feeling slightly desperate to get Kuroo out of their place. He’d been taking up their guest room, devouring everything in their kitchen, and leaving toothpaste in their bathroom sink. 

Kuroo shook his head and directed his attention back to his laptop, where he continued to watch a playthrough of Outlast. “Nope.” 

“Hey, hey, hey, kids, what’s crackin’?” Bokuto greeted, sauntering into the living room with a towel draped over his wet hair. Akaashi drank in the sight of his boyfriend, damp and bare-chested with gym tights slung low over his hips. He gulped. Kuroo needed to leave as soon as possible.

“Kuroo is avoiding the fact that he needs to apologize to Kenma-san for being an inconsiderate ass.” Akaashi said, crossing his arms over his chest and returning his glare to Kuroo.

“Woah, woah, woah, Keiji-kun! What’s with the sudden name-calling? I’ve done nothing wrong here!” 

“Maybe not to us, no, but to your best friend. Whom you’re definitely in love with.”

“Ooh! I wanna be in on this conversation!” Bokuto plopped down on the couch next to Kuroo, excitedly glancing between his best friend and his boyfriend. Kuroo blinked at Akaashi's statement.

“You were already ‘in on this’ conversation, Kou, it’s your apartment.”

“And yours.” Bokuto smiled sweetly. “And Kuroo’s!” Bokuto threw an arm around Kuroo’s shoulder and Kuroo gasped.

“Thank you so much, bro, I can always count on you.” Kuroo leaned his elbow on Bokuto’s thigh, propping his head up, before the two best friends shot Akaashi a look.

“No! It is not your apartment, _Kuroo_ , and you need to go back to yours!” Akaashi let out an exasperated sigh before pinching the bridge of his nose. “I thought you’d be more... _sad_ and easy to deal with for a guy who just fucked everything up with the guy he’s in love with.” 

“C’mon now, I didn’t ‘fuck everything up’. I’ll get around to apologizing...eventually.” 

“You know how long Kenma-kun can hold a grudge, though. Do you want him to hate you forever?” Bokuto mused. Akaashi nodded, proud of his boyfriend’s reasoning skills.

“He doesn’t _hate_ me.” Kuroo let out a short, dry laugh. “We’re just...not talking right now.”

“Dude! You were an ass to him because he was hugging Oikawa, then you went to some bar, got drunk, and almost fucked a guy in the room next to his! He definitely hates you.” Bokuto patted Kuroo on the shoulder as Kuroo held his head in his hands. “That was really stupid of you.”

“Why did I even do that? I wasn’t even that drunk.” Kuroo groaned.

“Because it hurt you to see him in someone else’s arms and you wanted to forget about it.” Akaashi settled into the armchair next to the couch. “Because you’re in love with him.”

“Akaashi-kun, could you please...stop? I just barely have my own sexuality figured out, I don’t need to think about who I may or may not be in love with. I don’t think I’ve ever been in love. Not even with Sachiko.”

“That’s because you’ve been in love with Kenma long before you started dating her.” Akaashi cleared his throat. “And she was a bitch.” 

“True that.” Kuroo laughed lightly, feeling some of his tension ease. “I don’t know what to do.” He groaned again.

“Go apologize. If it doesn’t work out, you can keep staying here!” Bokuto beamed at Akaashi. “Right, ‘Kaashi?” 

Akaashi sighed. How the hell was he supposed to say no to that idiot?

* * *

Kenma jumped when he heard a loud bang against the front door, almost dropping his PSP out of his hands. He waited for a full ten seconds before hearing the thud again, slowly creeping out of bed and toward the front door to look through the peephole. He prayed it was anyone but Kuroo.

His heart began to race when he saw a disheveled looking Kuroo leaning against their door. Kenma sighed, preparing himself to himself to speak with his best friend for the first time in weeks.

“Heyy, kitten.” Kuroo grinned, inching his forward so that his hot breath fanned out Kenma’s face. Kenma grimaced, stepping back slightly once he smelled the beer on his breath.

“What are you doing here, Kuroo?” Kenma questioned, stepping aside to let Kuroo in.

“I wanted to talk to you.” Kuroo stepped inside the apartment and made his way to the couch, sighing as he spread out on the leather.

“About what?” Kenma asked, not liking where this conversation seemed to be heading.

“You know what.” 

Kenma swallowed, collecting himself. _Did Kuroo know about his feelings for him? Is that why he had been avoiding him?_

“I’m sorry for everything that happened that night, it just really bothered me to see you and Oikawa together.” Kuroo frowned.

“Why would that matter to you?”

“‘Cause I’m in love with you.” Kuroo’s eyes never left Kenma’s and Kenma had to look away in embarrassment.

“Kuroo, you’re drunk.” Kenma managed to say, still struggling to fully compose himself. 

“I’m not.” Kuroo protested.

“I can’t believe that after not talking to me for two weeks, this is the bullshit that you pull. Are you really gonna put our friendship on the line because you’re lonely? I don’t want to be the person you want because you’re bored. You come here after weeks, drunk, and say that shit to me? I thought our friendship meant more to you, you asshole!” Kenma retorted, raising his voice until he was yelling at Kuroo.

Kuroo blinked in surprise at Kenma’s sudden outburst, slowly starting to realize the weight of the words he had just said so nonchalantly. 

Kuroo was still trying to figure out what he could say to ease the situation when Kenma stormed to his room. Kuroo ran after him. “Kenma, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that!”

Kenma turned on his heel to face Kuroo when he reached the doorway to his room, his expression a mixture of anger and misery. 

“Didn’t mean what, Kuro?” Kenma’s eyes narrowed at him. 

“Uh…” Kuroo was not sure what to say.

“That’s what I thought.” Kenma slammed his bedroom door in Kuroo’s face, leaving him wide-eyed and confused.


	16. Thursday, November 9th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we appreciate all of your lovely comments :3 - coocoocatchoo

The last four days were spent just as miserably as their two week long fight, but with two slight differences. Firstly, Kuroo moved back into their apartment, so they were no longer physically avoiding each other, they were just not really talking. Secondly, Kuroo’s words would not leave Kenma’s mind.

_I’m in love with you._

It was all Kenma had wanted to hear, what he had secretly hoped would be true. But, he could not accept those words to be true after what had happened. They had spent two lonesome weeks apart and in his attempt at an apology, Kuroo decided to spring something like that on him.

Kenma wasn’t dumb. He knew what happened that night when he left for Oikawa’s house, and he knew Kuroo was confused about his sexuality. His projection onto Kenma just made Kenma mad, so he yelled at him. Kenma would never say those words if he didn’t mean them, and hearing Kuroo say them after such a shit show hurt him beyond repair. 

Kenma and Kuroo continued to dance around each other in the apartment, not avoiding each other but rarely speaking unless it was something like ‘Can you pass me that?’ or ‘Do we have any more milk?’. Kuroo’s behavior towards Kenma had completely changed, and it made Kenma sad and even more confused. That is, until Kuroo finally gathered the courage to properly speak to him.

Kuroo sighed, sitting on the opposite end of the couch that Kenma was sat on. Kenma’s eyes flickered up in acknowledgement, but returned to his PSP.

“So, I fucked up.”

Kenma paused what he was doing, taken off guard by Kuroo’s words. “Mhm.”

“Not even gonna try to make me feel better about it?” Kuroo frowned.

Kenma gave him a sour look. 

“Okay, that’s fair.” Kuroo said, looking at Kenma square in the face. Kenma’s eyes diverted, uncomfortable with the conversation.

“Kenma, I’m sorry. I’ve just kind of been going through some confusing stuff right now and I shouldn’t have pushed it on to you like that. I’m sorry I said those things to you and still left, I’m sorry about what I did that night, and I’m sorry for what I said to you when I finally came home. I never meant to hurt you and would never want to jeopardize our friendship like that. I don’t expect you to instantly forgive me or anything, but I miss you. I just want things to be like how they were before, and I promise to never do anything stupid like that again.”

Kenma stared at him, processing his words. Kenma wanted to be angrier, to not let himself forgive him so easily, but to also pretend like it didn’t bother him. Even so, the apology hurt. He knew what Kuroo meant, but somehow his words ripped away any small shreds he had held onto about him possibly liking him like that.

“I get it. I forgive you, just please act like yourself again.”

Kuroo let out a long sigh. “God, you don't know what a relief it is to hear that. I’ve been worrying about this since that night. Thank you, Kenma. I promise I’ll be better and won’t do stuff like that again.”

“Okay. Also, Iwaizumi-san says to stop being such a dumbass.”

“Aw, man I need to call him, he’s probably so confused. Wait, since when do you talk to Haji that often?”

“I go to his apartment to hangout with Oikawa sometimes.”

“Oh. How is that by the way?”

“How’s what?” Kenma raised an eyebrow.

“You and Oikawa.”

Kenma let out a quiet laugh. “You really do need to talk to Iwaizumi, you idiot. Him and Oikawa finally got together like two weeks ago.”

Kuroo’s jaw dropped. “Wait, I thought…” Kuroo trailed off, finally putting the pieces together.

“Oikawa’s been hung up on Iwaizumi for years, and I do not like him like that. You obviously cannot tell when people like each other.”

“Huh. Guess I really can’t. So, that means you’ll have to tell me when you like someone.”

Kenma hesitated. “Okay.”

“So you will?”

“Yes...eventually.”

Kuroo’s face lit up as he rambled on about how Bokuto and Akaashi had treated him during his stay and whined about Akaashi’s attempt to kick him out. Kenma couldn’t help but let out a laugh and tell him a bit about what it was like to stay at Iwaizumi and Oikawa’s apartment.

* * *

“Oi, Kenma.” Kuroo threw himself down on the couch and swung his legs over the arm, pushing his head to rest in Kenma’s lap. Kenma scowled.

“Kuro, you just made my character die.” 

“This is important!” Kuroo protested.

“Okay, what is it?”

“I’m hungry.” Kuroo pouted, earning a sigh from Kenma. 

“Well, there’s nothing in the fridge. We could order out?” Kenma offered. Kuroo made a noise of disgust.

“Bo and Haji were texting me about this one Shabu Shabu place and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. We were planning on going in about an hour, and I know you don’t like Shabu Shabu because you burn your hands, but I figured I’d ask. Oikawa and Akaashi are coming, too.”

Kenma considered the thought of going out to eat and having small splashes of boiling consomme burn his hands, but he reckoned it would be nice to go out with the crew after he and Kuroo had finally sorted everything out. He nodded slowly, earning a grin from Kuroo. 

“Okay, we’ll leave in thirty minutes. I’ll go shower!” Kuroo jumped up and ran down the hall. A small smile slid its way onto Kenma’s face as he watched Kuroo rush off to the bathroom. 

It took Kuroo forty minutes in the shower, his only excuse being that he wanted to deep condition his hair, but Kenma could hear Kuroo singing all the openings to Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. 

“Oi, Kuroo, you’re the one who set the time to meet up.” Iwaizumi checked his watch with his free hand, his other holding onto Oikawa’s. “And you’re twenty minutes late.”

“Yeah, bro, I’m starved!” Bokuto complained, throwing his arms around Kuroo’s shoulders and hanging off of him. Kuroo grimaced.

“I’m sorry, everyone! I wasn’t just born with hair like this—”

“Yeah, you woke up with it.” Akaashi interjected, his eyes half lidded and his mouth set in a straight line. Bokuto burst out into laughter while the rest of the crew, minus Kuroo, engaged in quiet laughter. 

“Whatever, let’s just go in. I’m starving.” Kuroo trudged past the group and into the restaurant, securing them a table big enough for them. 

“So, Tetsu-kun, Iwa-chan tells me it’s your birthday soon.” Oikawa said with a polite smile once the group had gotten settled at their table. 

“Oh, shit, I totally forgot.” Kuroo facepalmed. “There’s no such thing as birthdays after you turn twenty one. I guess I gotta make it good while it counts. I have one more year.” 

“We could play three on three!” Bokuto suggested, Akaashi scowled. 

“Kou, he plays volleyball everyday. Do you think he wants to play volleyball for his birthday?” 

“Actually, that’s a good idea.” Kuroo grinned at Kenma. “I haven’t hit one of your tosses in a while. It’d be nice.” Kuroo then addressed everyone. “Plus, I’ve wanted to stuff Bokuto and Haji for a while now.”

“In your dreams, dude, I’ll blow your arms off.” Iwaizumi challenged.

“Iwa-chan, I haven’t set for you in so long!” Oikawa cried, throwing his arms around Iwaizumi’s neck. “Can we please do this?”

“Well, I’m not sure if the gym would be open to students…” Akaashi pondered out loud.

“What about the beach?” Oikawa suggested. All eyes turned to him. “What? It’d be nice to get out there. Have a little getaway. Especially now that Iwa-chan and I are together.” Oikawa winked at Iwaizumi. “It’d be like our honeymoon.”

Iwaizumi smacked the back of Oikawa’s head. “We’re not married, idiot!”

 _Damn, he’s been into Haji all this time. He really wasn’t into Kenma at all._ Kuroo realized as he watched the pair bicker like an old married couple. He settled into a content smile, feeling happy for Iwaizumi’s success—he had wanted Oikawa for as long as he could remember and he finally got him.

“Anyway, doesn’t your uncle run a little inn by the beach in Onjuku?” Oikawa rubbed the back of his head, trying to ease the soreness. 

“Ah, that’s true. I could probably call him and reserve a couple rooms at a discount.” 

“Then it’s decided! After practice on Friday, let’s all meet up at the Keiyo station and head to Onjuku for the weekend!”

“Are you sure you’ll be able to sit still for an hour and a half, Bokuto-san?” Kenma eyed Bokuto, who blushed slightly. He knew he had a terrible habit of being especially hyperactive on mass transit, not to mention he hated taking trains. 

“Iwa-chan has a car—”

“That I only use for emergencies. Gas is expensive.”

“We’ll chip in!” Bokuto promised. “I just really hate trains, Iwajumi.” Iwaizumi glared at Bokuto’s slight pout and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was really too nice sometimes.

“Fine, we'll take my car _and_ stay at my uncle's inn.” Iwaizumi huffed. “You want me to pay for the food, too?” 

“Iwa-chan is the best!” Oikawa playfully punched Iwaizumi’s arm and Iwaizumi smiled softly. Oikawa was such an idiot.

The group spent the rest of their time together planning out their trip to Onjuku beach once their food had arrived. Kenma had only managed to burn his hands three times, and Kuroo was quite proud of him. Iwaizumi had only been joking about paying for the food before, but once everyone decided that it was time to head home for the night, he was the one stuck with the bill.

Once the group had made it outside and were excitedly chatting about their trip, Kuroo grasped Oikawa’s elbow, tugging it lightly.

“Hey, Oikawa, could I talk to you for a sec?” Kuroo let go of Oikawa’s elbow as the other man turned around, shooting him a confused look. The two of them let the group go on ahead of them and made up the rear, walking slowly so that no one could hear their conversation.

“Is everything okay, Tetsu-kun?” 

“Yeah, I just…” Kuroo scratched the back of his head nervously, “I wanted to apologize for the way I acted that one time we had ramen. And when you came over for Kenma’s birthday. And the other night when I saw you guys in Kenma’s room. I was an ass and you’ve been pretty decent to me.” 

“It’s a-okay, Tetsu-kun! Don’t sweat it!” Oikawa laughed lightly. “I just figured you were claiming your territory.”

“What does that mean?” Kuroo raised an eyebrow at Oikawa, who just grinned and shrugged. 

“Whatever you want it to.” He said mysteriously before quickening his pace to catch up with Iwaizumi, lacing their fingers together.

Kuroo looked on with a smile. _Oikawa is a pretty decent guy._ He decided as he jogged to catch up with the group.

Before long, the pairs split up to head their separate ways. 

“I’m gonna make a group chat for Onjuku!” Bokuto called from the crosswalk, waving with his fingers spread wide and his arm held high. Akaashi hooked his finger in Bokuto’s collar and dragged him out of the street, scolding him for stopping the middle of a crosswalk.

“Sounds good.” Iwaizumi waved back at Bokuto. Oikawa elbowed him in the side before intertwining their fingers once more. 

“Act more excited, Iwa-chan! Your eye bags are telling me you’re in desperate need of a vacation.” Oikawa jokes, holding up their jointed hands.

 _He shows off his hand in Iwaizumi’s hand like it’s an engagement ring or something._ Kenma smiled to himself, feeling somewhat happy for Oikawa. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he fell into step with Kuroo, who was already thinking about his warm bed at their apartment.

“‘So…” Kuroo breathed in sharply, “are you excited for Onjuku?”

“Not really, I’ve never played beach volleyball.” Kenma shrugged. “I’ve heard it’s hard.”

“Kenmaaa, it’s your best friend’s birthday! Shouldn’t you at least try to be more excited?” 

“Well, I was already planning to get you a present.” Kenma kept his eyes focused on the ground and his hands shoved deep inside of his pockets. His palms were getting sweaty. Kuroo stopped walking, his wide eyes staring at Kenma.

“You got me a present?” 

“I haven’t yet, it’s not a big deal.” Kenma shrugged once more and kept walking, growing more and more nervous with Kuroo’s approaching footsteps as he caught up to him.

“Kenma, I’d feel really bad if you got me something. All I got for you was a stupid phone charm.” 

“But I like them.”

“You don’t need to get me anything. Just be excited for Onjuku and I’ll be satisfied.” Kuroo whined.

“Okay, I guess I’m a little excited.” 

“So no presents?”

“I didn’t agree to that.”


	17. Friday, November 17th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANKS FOR READING !!! this chapter was a garbage fire to write but we really love her. also,,,,,next chapter it's goin down

“Oi, Shittykawa, turn that shit off.” Iwaizumi snatched Oikawa’s phone from his hands and threw it into the backseat and onto Kuroo’s lap. 

“Mean, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa crossed his arms over his chest. Kuroo handed Oikawa’s phone to Kenma so he could unlock it and proceeded to go find a song to play. 

“That’s a terrible idea.” Kenma said, mostly to himself. Kuroo pouted.

“C’mon, Kenma, I have great taste in music! Haji loves my gym playlist.”

“It’s okay.” Iwaizumi shrugged in the driver seat and Kuroo made a noise.

“What do you mean ‘okay’? It’s perfect!” 

“Bro, I think that playlist is straight fire.” Bokuto interjected, earning a groan from Akaashi.

“Kou, everytime you say that phrase it takes a year off my life.”

“We’re here!” Bokuto swung the car door open before they came to a complete stop and jumped out, stretching and breathing in the ocean breeze. One by one, the rest of the guys slowly climbed out the car, stretching their limbs from the long car ride. Iwaizumi disappeared into the inn and quickly returned with the keys.

Kenma trailed after Kuroo to their room, the other two couples had wanted some privacy and so the two of them had their own room. Not that either of them would complain, though. Kuroo entered the room, holding the door open for Kenma, who ducked under his arm. Kenma placed his backpack on the table next to the door and turned to see just one bed.

_ This isn’t weird, me and Kuroo have shared a bed hundreds of times.  _ But this time, Kenma was hyper aware of Kuroo. Kuroo’s confession from that night lingered in his mind, but he promised he would not make it weird.

Kuroo walked in after him. “Oh. There’s only one bed. Is that cool?”

Kenma nodded, taking his beach clothes out of his backpack. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

Kuroo swallowed, setting his bag on the bed and taking out his clothes to change. Kenma entered the bathroom to change, leaving Kuroo to flop onto the bed in frustration.

He then stood up and quickly changed into his swimming trunks, waiting for Kenma to finish changing before joining the others. 

After fifteen minutes, the boys met up outside of the inn. They raced out towards the beach, where they stumbled upon a volleyball net.

“Okay, so obviously me and Iwa-chan are one the same team. So the rest is up to you guys” Oikawa spun the volleyball on his finger and flicked it at Kuroo, who caught it with ease.

“Akaashi has to set for me, so we’re on the same team!” Bokuto yelled, throwing his arms around Akaashi and hugging him to his side.

“Bro, no, Akaashi sets for you all the time! Kenma hasn’t set for me since high school, so he’s on my team.”

“What if we did two on two and just rotated?” Iwaizumi suggested. Oikawa frowned.

“That wouldn’t be any fun. I wanna play with everyone.” Oikawa pouted.

“Okay, Kou-kun and I will split—”

“We call Akaashi!” Oikawa grinned, grabbing Akaashi by the arm and prying him from Bokuto’s hold. Bokuto released his grip on Akaashi to excitedly give Kuroo a double handed high five.

“We’re gonna kick their asses!” Bokuto whooped, earning a smirk from Kuroo. “Iwajumi’s goin’ down!” 

Iwaizumi sighed as he crossed under the net and got into position toward the back of the sandy court. 

Kenma sighed, walking onto the court. He reached for his wrist, placing his hair in a bun at the nape of his neck. A few pieces of hair framed his face, too short to fit in the bun. Kenma always had a hair tie around his wrist, but until now Kuroo had never seen him use it.

Kuroo stared at Kenma, his eyes never leaving Kenma’s profile. Kuroo was suddenly more aware of how attractive Kenma was, and couldn’t help but blush when Kenma looked back at him.

“Are you gonna serve or what?” Oikawa smirked from the opposite side of the net.

Kuroo blushed furiously, getting into position and tossing the ball up into the air. His hand smacked the ball square in its center, sending it toward the spot between Iwaizumi and Akaashi. Akaashi received it cleanly and bumped it to Oikawa.

“Iwa-chan!” Oikawa set it low and close to the net, just like Iwaizumi had always liked it. Iwaizumi slammed the ball down into the sand on the other side of the net between Kuroo and Kenma, who stared at each other.

“Get your heads outta your asses, you two, I thought you guys were known for defense!” Bokuto slapped them on their backs before picking the ball up and throwing it over to Oikawa, who prepared to serve.

“Sorry, I’ll get the next one!” Kuroo shook his head, trying to clear the images of Kenma wearing a tank top and a bun. He had never seen Kenma quite like this, and it was really messing with his head. 

Oikawa served the ball three times before Kuroo could pick it up and properly bump it to Kenma, who tossed the ball to Bokuto. Bokuto spiked the ball over the net, barely missing the makeshift line in the sand just out of Akaashi’s reach. 

“Sorry, babe!” Bokuto grinned. Akaashi rolled his eyes and turned away, trying to hide the small, proud smile that had made its way onto his lips. 

Bokuto tried to bounce the ball in the sand before he served, but the ball did not bounce back up.

“You can’t bounce a ball in sand, you idiot!” Kuroo yelled.. Bokuto chuckled bashfully before shouting a quick apology and serving the ball to the other team. This time, Iwaizumi picked it up and bumped it to Akaashi, who set the ball to Oikawa. Bokuto easily received Oikawa’s spike and Kenma set the ball high above the net, recalling how Kuroo preferred his tosses. Kuroo smacked the ball down onto the other side of the net with ease, smiling widely at Kenma once he had landed. 

“Yeah!” Kuroo laughed, high fiving Kenma. Kenma couldn’t hide his smile as he slapped Kuroo’s hand, meeting his eyes. He’d by lying to himself if he said he didn’t miss setting for Kuroo. 

Kenma’s mind would not let him focus as the game continued. He kept thinking about the feeling he got each time he would see Kuroo’s wide grin after he successfully hit one of his tosses. It felt too much like old times. Each time he went to set, he would try to set to Bokuto, but would end up setting to Kuroo—and Bokuto was getting frustrated.

“‘Kasshi, I miss you.” Bokuto stuck his fingers through the net, clutching the thin ropes and pouting at Akaashi. Akaashi’s eyes widened. 

_ Kou-kun’s newest weakness, number thirty eight. If he’s separated from me for too long, he gets anxious. _

“I miss your tosses.” Bokuto continued, pressing his face against the net. 

“Kou-kun, it’s our serve. You’re going to miss the ball.” Akaashi cautioned, trying to get Bokuto back into the game. 

“What?” Bokuto murmured, still pouting at Akaashi. Akaashi heard the sound of Iwaizumi’s hand hitting the ball and winced as he watched it fly over the net and land right behind Bokuto. 

With that, the game was over. Oikawa yelled in excitement and ran up to Iwaizumi. He jumped into Iwaizumi’s arms and Iwaizumi picked him up and swung him around. They both giggled to themselves and Iwaizumi put Oikawa down, sharing a soft kiss. Akaashi stood next to them, waiting for them to finish, before high fiving both boys and rejoining Bokuto’s side.

Bokuto perked up.

“Keiji, I haven’t seen you in so long!” Bokuto hugged Akaashi tightly and Akaashi chuckled before hugging him back.

“I was right here the whole time, Kou.”

* * *

“Cheers!” Oikawa, Bokuto, and Kuroo cheered, clinking their glasses together. Iwaizumi, Akaashi, and Kenma sat quietly, giving the three loud men sideways glances. Everyone in the restaurant was staring at them.

[ Shiratorimaru ](http://www.shiratorimaru.com) was a lowkey, barbecue style restaurant with dim lights and plush seating, but the combined loudness of Oikawa, Kuroo, and Bokuto made it seem like a pub. 

“Tetsu-kun.” Oikawa threw back the rest of his beer and slammed it down on the table, causing Iwaizumi to jolt and glare at him. “When I first met you, I thought you were a piece of shit. But now, I would die for you.” 

“Happy Birthday to our piece of shit!” Bokuto yelled, raising his glass once more.

“Cheers, I’ll drink to that, bro.” Iwaizumi chuckled and raised his glass. Akaashi and Kenma gave each other skeptical looks before slowly raising their glasses of water; they needed to be the responsible ones for tonight.

Kuroo took another shot of sake and let his glass fall on the table. He slung an arm around Kenma’s shoulders and pushed his cheek to Kenma’s. Kenma squirmed under Kuroo’s weight and held his breath so as to not inhale the stench of alcohol oozing from Kuroo’s mouth.

“C’mon, kitten, pay attention to me, it’s my birthdayyy.” Kuroo rubbed his cheek against Kenma’s, holding him tightly while Kenma tried to push him off.

“I know.” Kenma successfully pushed Kuroo off and sighed. “You’re drunk, Kuro.” His glare turned to the other two drunk idiots “I think it’s time for us to head back.” He suggested to Akaashi. 

Akaashi simply nodded, trying to handle the full weight of Bokuto on his shoulders. He stood up and pulled Bokuto up with him, managing to get one his arms secured around his shoulders as he made his way out of the restaurant. Iwaizumi tried to get Oikawa to stand up, but Oikawa kept slapping his hands away. Iwaizumi decided to gather Oikawa in his arms and carry him out of the restaurant, dumping him on the sidewalk once they made it outside safely. Kuroo obediently followed Kenma out of the restaurant, not without snaking an arm around his waist.

Oikawa hung onto Iwaizumi as they made their way back to the inn. He turned to face them, but his body clung to Iwaizumi. He giggled to himself. “Pay attention to meee, Hajime.”

Iwaizumi blushed at the sound of his given name, putting his hand around his waist. Oikawa giggled to himself again before pressing a lingering kiss on Iwaizumi’s lips.

“The flavor...is immaculate.” Oikawa smiled into their kiss.

Bokuto let out a bark of laughter as Oikawa immediately started to run away from them and up to their room. Iwaizumi quickly apologized for Oikawa’s behavior, quickly running after him.

Akaashi and Kenma bid their goodnights to each other as they each helped their drunken counterparts to their rooms. Kenma sat Kuroo down on the bed and went to the corner to retrieve something from his backpack. 

“I know you’re drunk, so you’re not gonna remember this but...” Kenma held out a black cat plushie and refused to meet Kuroo’s glassy stare as he blushed. “So the other cat plushie I gave you doesn’t get lonely.” 

Kuroo’s mouth hung open slightly as he slowly reached out for the plushie. He hugged it to his chest tightly and squeezed his eyes shut. Kenma sat down on the bed next to him, searching Kuroo’s face for any sign of a reaction.

“Kenmaaa!” Kuroo wailed, tossing the plushie aside and throwing his arms around Kenma’s neck, hugging him tightly. Kenma jolted backwards, surprised at the sudden contact, but slowly wrapped his arms around Kuroo’s mid section. “Thank you so much, I love him!” Kuroo sniffled.

“I’m glad. Happy Birthday, Tetsurou.” 


	18. Saturday, November 18th + Sunday, November 19th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> coME GET Y'ALL JUICE

“Please don’t make me get up again.” Kenma murmured from the bed; his arms and legs were splayed out and his hair framed his face. Kuroo sat cross legged beside him.

“C’mon, it’s just a bonfire. You don’t have to do anything, we’ll be on our asses the whole time.” Kuroo pressed, texting in the group chat that they’d be there. 

“Will there be s’mores?”

“Haji already bought everything we need.” Kuroo grinned as Kenma huffed and sat up in the bed. 

“Alright, let’s go.” Kenma said, grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around his shoulders before heading out of the hotel room, leaving the door open behind him. Kuroo’s grin widened as he followed him outside, down the steps leading to the beach, and towards the fire pit that Bokuto and Iwaizumi were currently filling with firewood. 

“Nice of you to join us, lovebirds.” Oikawa smiled and waved at the pair as they got closer.

“Shut up, Shittykawa, we just got here.” Iwaizumi said as he threw the last log into the pit and dusted his hands off. 

Once everyone was settled, they broke out the crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows and started passing out the roasting sticks. Kenma eyed the fire warily, sitting as far away from it as possible. He had an awful knack for burning himself whenever the opportunity presented itself. 

“You want me to roast your marshmallow for you, kitten?” Kuroo asked quietly, leaning down toward Kenma’s ear. Kenma nodded wordlessly. Kuroo took the stick from Kenma’s hand and put a couple of marshmallows on it before holding them over the fire. 

As the night drew on, the boys talked about high school and laughed about the times they had on their respective volleyball teams; Oikawa made sure to complain about Ushijima more than anyone preferred. Kuroo had somehow found his way underneath Kenma’s blanket and Kenma had somehow found himself curled into Kuroo’s side. 

“Stop being such a salty little bitch, Tooru.” Iwaizumi pinched Oikawa’s ear and pushed him lightly. Oikawa threw a cracker at Iwaizumi’s head and immediately started running down the beach, trying to escape Iwaizumi’s anger. The couple came back to the fire pit, Oikawa beaming in Iwaizumi’s arms.

“So...we need to go back to the room. Oikawa won’t behave.” Iwaizumi said, a small blush tainting his nose and cheeks. Oikawa accentuated his statement with a sloppy kiss to Iwaizumi’s cheek. “I won’t hesitate to drop you, Assikawa.” He turned back to the group. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine, Haji. Go back to your room.” Kuroo grinned. “And don’t forget to use protection, you crazy kids!”

“Don’t wait up!” Oikawa waved as Iwaizumi carried him back to their room. The remaining four boys chuckled and continued talking for another twenty minutes before Bokuto started dozing off.

Akaashi quickly stretched his arm out to catch the back of Bokuto’s shirt before Bokuto fell face first into the sand. 

“I think it’s time for Kou-kun to go to bed.” Akaashi chuckled lightly at his exhausted boyfriend.

“Noooo, I wanna stay.” Bokuto groaned, leaning his head against Akaashi’s shoulder. Moments later, a small stream of drool could be spotted in the corner of the wing spiker’s mouth. Akaashi wrapped Bokuto’s arm around his neck and stood up, shouldering the weight of his dozing boyfriend.

“Goodnight, you two.” Akaashi bowed his head slightly before giving Kuroo a pointed look. _Don’t be an idiot._

“G’night, guys. Love you.” Bokuto murmured, waking up for just a moment to bid farewell to his friends. Kuroo giggled at the sight of his best friend being dragged off to bed by his smaller boyfriend. Kuroo decided that Akaashi had to be a saint to put up with all of Bokuto’s shenanigans, but Bokuto was nothing if not loveable. 

Kuroo watched Akaashi and Bokuto disappear over the small hill of sand just before the inn and sighed, getting up to put out the fire. Kenma watched Kuroo pour handfuls of sand onto the fire and hoped that he was not ready to go back to the room.

“Hey.” Kuroo turned to Kenma and extended a hand toward him. “You wanna walk a little further?” 

Kenma eyed Kuroo’s hand for a while before taking it and letting himself be helped up. He let Kuroo lead the way further down the shoreline before he stopped and settled down on the sand. Kuroo patted the sand next to him and smiled up at Kenma. Once Kenma sat down, he focused his eyes on the soft waves of the ocean and let himself space out.

“So what should we name our cats?” Kuroo asked after a beat of comfortable silence.

“Our cats?”

“The two plushies you’ve given me! We should name them, yeah?”

“I’m surprised you even remembered last night.”

“I even remember you saying that I wouldn’t remember. But I remember everything.”

“Kuro.”

“Yeah?”

“No, that’s what we should name the black cat.”

“Okay, then let’s name the other one Pudding.” Kuroo grinned and Kenma sighed in defeat. Kuroo was really never going to get over his hair. More silence ensued between the two before Kuroo spoke up again.

“Hey, speaking of remembering everything...” Kuroo leaned over and bumped his shoulder against Kenma’s, earning a curious look from the other boy. “I’m really sorry.”

“For what?” There were a million things that Kuroo could be sorry for, but Kenma needed Kuroo to be specific.

“Making you uncomfortable.” Kuroo looked out over the ocean, refusing to meet Kenma’s gaze. Kenma hesitated, knowing exactly what Kuroo was referring to and trying to think about what to say to that.

“You didn’t make me uncomfortable. I was just confused.” Kenma shrugged. Kuroo’s head whipped around to look at Kenma.

“Wait, what do you mean?” 

“What you said that night was confusing.” Kenma hugged his knees tighter to his chest as the ocean breeze blew over the two of them. 

“I didn’t think it was confusing, I meant what I said.”

Kenma held his breath and turned to look at him. Kuroo’s face was red and he refused to look in his direction.

“What?”

“God, Kenma are you gonna make me spell it out for you again? I think I embarrassed myself quite enough the first time.” Kuroo said, returning his gaze to the ocean.

Kenma looked down at the sand, absentmindedly running his hand over it. “You were drunk, though.”

Kuroo laughed silently to himself. “You know beer is like a truth serum for me.”

Kenma blushed to himself, carving circles in the sand. “But I thought you liked girls.”

“I guess gender doesn’t really matter to me...I just know that I’m in love with you.” Kuroo turned slowly to look at Kenma, whose eyes were wide in disbelief. “I should have realized it a long time ago, I’ve always only been able to focus on you. Like, the only girlfriend I’ve ever had broke up with me because she was convinced I was in love with you. Turns out, she was right. Even Bokuto realized it before I did, and we both know how oblivious that kid is. I’d always get teased for thinking about you so much. I’m always thinking about how you’re doing, what you’re doing, how to make you happy, how to be better for you. You’re all I think about.”

Kenma buried his face in his knees to keep Kuroo from seeing the tears that were about to spill over.

“You don’t have to say anything. You know me so well, I just could never keep something like this from you. I wanted to be the one to tell you. I hope this doesn’t change things between us, I don’t wanna lose you.” Kuroo said quickly, afraid that he was about to get rejected. 

Kenma raised his head from his knees to peer at Kuroo with wet eyes and rosy cheeks. He smiled up at Kuroo, who gulped nervously.

“Kuro, I’ve loved you since we were kids, you idiot.” 

Kuroo was speechless. “S-since we were kids?”

Kenma nodded as Kuroo blushed. “Since we were kids.” He confirmed.

“Oh.” 

Kenma laughed to himself at Kuroo’s obliviousness.

“Can I kiss you?” Kuroo asked suddenly, turning towards him.

Kenma nodded, not trusting his voice. Kuroo reached out towards Kenma’s face, tucking a piece of his hair behind his ear. Kenma’s glassy eyes looked up at Kuroo as he softly caressed his face and Kenma leaned into his touch. Kuroo smiled at him, leaning towards him as their lips met for the first time.

Kuroo sighed happily when they separated, keeping one hand on Kenma’s cheek and using the other to lean back in the sand.

“Wait, so does this mean we’re together now?” Kuroo asked.

“It can mean whatever you want it to mean.”

“What if I want you to be my boyfriend?” Kuroo grinned, leaning down toward Kenma’s face for a second kiss.

“Then I guess I’m your boyfriend.” Kenma breathed, letting his lips be found by Kuroo’s once more. 

Kuroo smiled at him once again, bringing his hand from Kenma’s cheek to the sand as they looked into the ocean, too embarrassed to even look at each other. They sat in silence for a few moments, listening to the waves crash on the sand. Kenma let out a small yawn, causing Kuroo to laugh.

“Tired, kitten?” 

Kenma nodded. Kuroo stood up first, offering a hand to help Kenma up. After Kenma stood up, neither of them dropped their hands, fingers still interlocked. Kenma wrapped his blanket tighter around himself with his other hand and allowed Kuroo to lead him back to the inn. The two walked in a comfortable yet awkward silence.

Kuroo opened their door, holding it for Kenma as he walked in and placed his belongings on his side of the room.

“I’m gonna take a quick shower.” Kuroo announced.

Kenma nodded, pulling out his phone to text Oikawa as he sprawled out on the bed and sighed.

> **applepi (1:13 AM)** me and kuro are dating now ??

A facetime request immediately popped up on his screen.

> _Tooru-kun would like to facetime_

Kenma rolled his eyes, typing out another text to Oikawa.

> **applepi (1:14 AM)** kuro’s in the shower i cant talk about him when hes right there
> 
> **toru-kun (1:14 AM)** ooh hes in the shower huh ;)))) u kno what 2 do
> 
> **applepi (1:15 AM)** ill block u
> 
> **toru-kun (1:15 AM)** nooo !! omg im sorry. Pls tell me everything i beg of you
> 
> **applepi (1:15 AM)** he confessed and then we kissed and now we’re dating
> 
> **toru-kun (1:16 AM)** KENMAAAA PLS TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT HE SAID
> 
> **applepi (1:17 AM)** no
> 
> **toru-kun (1:17 AM)** :((
> 
> **applepi (1:17 AM)** goodnight oikawa
> 
> **toru-kun (1:18 AM)** goodnight pudding-chan !! im so happy for u and tetsu-chan u have no idea...btw use protection !! ( ´ ∀ `)ノ～ ♡

Kenma flushed and quickly changed into his pajamas. Kuroo stepped out of the shower a few minutes later, his hair wet and a towel slung low around his hips.

Kenma gulped, struggling to find his PSP to take his mind off of his new boyfriend.

Kuroo smirked and walked over to his backpack to grab something to wear before returning to the bathroom to change. He emerged from the bathroom again and walked up to the bed and grabbed a pillow, then gathered some blankets and placed them on the floor. Kenma raised an eyebrow at him.

“What are you doing?’

“Oh, um...I thought I'd just sleep on the floor since there’s only one bed.” Kuroo said, cheeks flushed and very noticeably not making eye contact.

“Kuro, we share a bed all the time. We literally slept in this bed last night.”

Kuroo flushed, looking up at him from the floor. “I know, I know. It’s just...different now and I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable or pressure you to do anything.”

“You never make me uncomfortable, I trust you.” 

Kuroo blushed. “Okay.” He gathered his blankets and pillow and rearranged them on the bed.

Kenma grabbed his toiletries and made his way to the bathroom.

Kuroo let out a breath and grabbed his phone, excited to tell his friends.

_the bromies©_

> **kuro (1:26 AM)** i have an announcement
> 
> **bo (1:26 AM)** whats up bro ??
> 
> **kuro (1:27 AM)** bro, i kissed kenma. we’re dating now.
> 
> **bo (1:27 AM)** b r o , t h a t ‘ s g a y
> 
> **kuro (1:27 AM)** i know!!
> 
> **keiji-kun (1:28 AM)** not to say i told you so, but i indeed told you so.
> 
> **bo (1:29 AM)** B A B E !!! let him have this one omg
> 
> **keiji-kun (1:28 AM)** we are very happy for you and kenma-kun
> 
> **haji (1:29 AM** ) dude im happy for you too. oikawa has been screaming about kenma’s crush on you and how you got together for like ten minutes
> 
> **bo (1:29 AM)** omg how does oikawa know
> 
> **haji (1:30 AM)** Kenma told him
> 
> **bo (1:30 AM)** omg kuroo kenma’s gossiping about you !!!!
> 
> **keiji-kun (1:31 AM)** isn’t Kuroo doing the same thing rn, though?
> 
> **bo (1:31 AM)** ,,,LISTEN
> 
> **haji (1:32 AM)** y’all are dating now it really doesn’t matter
> 
> **bo (1:33 AM)** interesting,,,,,,,,,, ((OvO))
> 
> **bo (1:33 AM)** anyway, im so hyped rn u have no idea. I could literally run a mile around this building
> 
> **keiji-kun (1:33 AM)** please don’t
> 
> **kuro (1:34 AM)** my heart is so full. u guys r the best <3

Kuroo heard the bathroom door open and looked up to see Kenma making his way back from the bathroom.

“So, I hear you have a crush on me.” Kuroo smirked at Kenma.

Kenma looked at him in confusion. “What? Did we not just go over this?”

“I know, but it seems like you talked about your crush on me a lot. That’s kind of embarrassing.”

“Kuro, we’re dating. Also, don’t act like you didn’t do the same thing.”

“You’re right.”

Kenma rolled his eyes, crawling into bed. Kuroo leaned over to turn off the lights and got under the covers. Instinctively, his body moved to cuddle with Kenma, but he stopped himself from touching the other boy.

Kenma turned his head to look at him. “Kuro, we’ve been touchy like this for years. Just because we’re dating doesn’t mean we have to start from scratch.”

“Okay, I’m sorry. I just don’t wanna assume anything or scare you off.”

Kenma moved his body closer, putting his head on Kuroo’s chest. “Trust me, I’ll tell you if you do anything I don’t like.” He melted into Kuroo’s embrace and sighed. Kuroo chuckled and placed his arm around his shoulder, draping his arm around Kenma’s body.

“So, you like this, huh?”

“Shut up.”

Kuroo giggled to himself, quickly getting over his weariness and began to stroke Kenma’s hair as they both drifted off to sleep.


	19. Saturday, December 2nd + Sunday, December 3rd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter sux i'm sorry. but the next chapter is the last chapter !!!!! - coocoocatchoo

Kenma looked up into the mirror, anxiety gnawing at him. He was wearing jeans, converse, and Kuroo’s jersey. He thought back to all the girls in high school who would wear their boyfriends’ jerseys to support them, and had thought it would be a good idea. He thought his boyfriend would appreciate it.

“What am I doing…” 

He looked up at himself again in the mirror, anxiety bubbling in his stomach. His body temperature rose as he thought of his boyfriend’s reaction and he quickly pulled his hair into a bun at the nape of his neck. He sighed to himself and opened the door of the bathroom before walking back to his room. Maybe he could pull a hoodie over it and Kuroo would never notice. He never got the chance to cover it before Kuroo walked out of the room, ready for his game. Kuroo looked him up and down before a wide smile and a blush etched themselves onto his face.

“Damn, kitten.”

“I'm taking this off right now.” 

Kuroo let out a laugh, stepping toward him. His arms reached around Kenma’s waist and Kenma struggled to get away to his room where he could change. Kuroo’s face flushed seeing his last name plastered on Kenma’s back and he hugged Kenma’s head to his chest to avoid Kenma noticing.

“No, really. It looks good on you.”

“Shut up.”

Kuroo chuckled to himself, before kissing the top of Kenma’s head.

“C’mon, we gotta get going, grab your stuff.”

Kenma nodded, not allowing himself to meet Kuroo’s eyes. He grabbed a hoodie from his room just in case he felt too embarrassed and followed Kuroo towards the front door of their apartment. Kenma had gone to Kuroo’s games before, but never as his boyfriend. He typically just found an empty space in the bleachers and played on his PSP or his phone until the game started so no one would bother him.

Kuroo kissed Kenma sweetly upon their arrival to the gym, promising to meet up with him after the game, before disappearing into the locker room. Kenma made his way over to the bleachers as more people began to arrive. He sat down and pulled out his phone to pass the time. 

Soon enough, the bleachers began to fill up and the players began their warm up. Kenma’s eyes lingered over Kuroo, who immediately looked up into the bleachers to find him. When their eyes met, Kuroo smiled up at him lovingly before he proceeded to spike the ball. Kenma smiled back at him, hoping no one else would notice the two communicating non-verbally.

The game began and Kenma slipped his phone in his pocket, ready to fully immerse himself in the game. Sometimes, watching volleyball like this made him miss it. Volleyball required a lot of effort and required Kenma to sometimes move until he thought he would pass out, but he still enjoyed playing it. He loved the tactical side of it, he loved creating strategies with his team and executing them. But if it weren’t for Kuroo, he knew he would not have played it. As much as he liked volleyball, there was no way he could do it for a living. So, he hung on in his third year of high school to experience it without Kuroo, and decided to stop once he graduated. But, watching Kuroo play volleyball made him itch to play again.

The game carried on, Kenma watched as points were given to both sides. He watched Akaashi and Kuroo speak strategy, he watched Bokuto score countless points, and found himself coming up with his own strategies for the team. It was his own way of participating from where he sat high in the bleachers. He pulled out his phone again once he started to feel a bit more anxious about being alone and scrolled through reddit for a bit.

Kenma peered up from his phone when he felt a tap on his shoulder and immediately recognized the shock of red hair and the person it belonged to from high school. 

“Hey, kitty cat!” Tendou grinned down at him, his eyes flickering to the jersey that Kenma wore. “Whatcha got there?” 

Kenma started to fidget with his fingers, wishing more than anything that Kuroo or Oikawa were there to save him. 

“My boyfriend’s jersey.” Kenma said, locking eyes with Tendou. Tendou’s grin turned into a surprised gape.

“Boyfriend?” Tendou double checked the name on the back of the jersey and gasped. “The bastard did it!” 

Kenma raised an eyebrow at Tendou as he sat down next to him, stretching his long legs over the empty row of bleachers in front of them.

“What did he do?” 

“You guys finally got together, huh? I’m glad.” Tendou stretched his arms behind his head and locked his fingers together. “Last time I saw him, he was drowning his depression in whiskey and club soda.”

Tendou incorrectly interpreted Kenma’s silence as permission to keep speaking while, in reality, Kenma was just trying to remember the tall redhead’s name.

“So, I helped him figure out all his sexuality stuff but he kept saying stuff like ‘Oh, I fucked everything up with him’ and ‘He probably hates me’ so, naturally, I hooked him up with one of my friends. To help him get over you.” Tendou paused for a moment, tapping his fingers on his chin pensively. “Though, Ken-kun was really pissed when he came back. He said they didn’t even get past first base.” 

Kenma’s mind was dizzy from the overload of information that flowed out of this stranger’s mouth. 

“Oh, how rude of me to not introduce myself!” Tendou turned to Kenma and stuck out his hand. “I’m Satori.”

_ Tendou Satori, the guess blocker from Shiratorizawa.  _ Kenma’s lips set into a frown as he eyed Tendou’s outstretched hand. He made no move to shake it.

“And you know Kuroo how?”

“He came to my bar the night you guys had a fight.” Tendou narrowed his eyes and withdrew his hand. “Didn’t I already say that?”

Kenma’s head was reeling.  _ After I left the apartment the night that Kuroo brought that guy home, they didn’t even end up doing anything? I left for nothing? _

“So Kuro didn’t even have sex with that guy?”

“No, he didn’t. Were you even listening?”

Kenma’s eyes were drawn to the court, where Kuroo was currently preparing to block a spiker on the opposite team. The perspiration dripped down Kuroo’s creased forehead as he concentrated on reading the spike properly, then disappeared as Kuroo jumped just in time to slam the ball back down onto the opponent’s side. The whistle sounded and Bokuto ran over to Kuroo with a blinding smile on his face, lifting him up slightly as the first set came to a close with Kuroo’s team in the lead. Kuroo’s eyes met Kenma and Kuroo grinned widely at him. As if to say  _ Did you see that? _

Kenma returned the smile, feeling a part of his heart that had been tense ever since that night finally relax.  _ I saw _ .

“You two totally had a moment just now.” Tendou giggled, glancing back and forth between Kenma and Kuroo. Kenma blushed. “Waka’s probably furious that you guys won the first set. But he’ll figure out a way to beat you guys.” 

Kenma continued to watch his boyfriend as he took a swig from his water and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel. “We’ll see.” 

* * *

“Good game, Kuroo Tetsurou.” Ushijima bowed his head slightly at Kuroo as they shook hands under the net. Kuroo cracked a grin at Ushijima.

“Thanks, Ushijima Wakatoshi.” Kuroo teased. Ushijima nodded once more before releasing Kuroo’s hand and moving on to greet the rest of their opponents. Ushijima noticed that Kuroo had looked especially smug after his team defeated Ushijima’s powerhouse university, most of their points being scored by none other than Bokuto Kotarou. 

Once the players had dispersed and team meetings were over, Kenma waited patiently for Kuroo to find him on the bleachers after he bid farewell to Tendou, whom he learned was Ushijima’s partner. He watched Tendou sprint down to the court and disappear into the crowd.

“Wakatoshi-kun!” Tendou ran over to Ushijima with his arms wide open and pounced on him. Ushijima caught him with ease and stood still as Tendou peppered his face with kisses. “You played a great game. You carried your teammates as far as you could.” 

“We are still a young team. We will get there.” Ushijima said calmly, setting Tendou back down on his feet.

Once Tendou was safe and sound with his feet on the ground, he directed his attention to finding Kenma and Kuroo. He pointed at the couple excitedly, causing Ushijima to follow his finger with his eyes.

“See? I told you, Waka. I got them together!” Tendou stated proudly, puffing his chest out. Ushijima smiled softly at the new couple and then returned his gaze to Tendou, whose eyes were sparkling with delight.

“Good job, Satori.” Ushijima pressed a light kiss to Tendou’s forehead before linking their fingers together.

* * *

“I’m fucked for this final.” Oikawa sighed, leaning his cheek in the palm of his hand as Kenma straightened out his notecards.

“You did pretty well just now on the practice test. You’ll be fine.” Kenma coaxed, as he finished grading Oikawa’s practice test. Kenma and Oikawa’s algebra final was the next day and the two friends were studying together one last time. 

“Would you kindly be quiet? Haji and I are trying to study.” Kuroo teased, looking up from his organic chemistry textbook. Kenma scowled and flicked Kuroo’s arm. 

“Yeah, I’m  _ trying  _ to edit these photos!” Bokuto joined in.

“Kou-kun, you’re just scrolling through tumblr.” Akaashi narrowed his eyes at Bokuto, who had been caught red-handed.

“I’m trying to get inspiration!” Bokuto protested, but Akaashi’s steely gaze remained unwavered. “Iwajumi, help me.” Bokuto whispered across the table.

Iwaizumi clenched his jaw and shut his organic chemistry book, peering up to lock eyes with Bokuto. “Bokuto. Did you know that my name is not actually Iwajumi?” 

Kuroo quickly covered his mouth with his hand to stifle a laugh and Kenma averted his gaze to elsewhere in the Starbucks. Oikawa coughed and Akaashi looked on in amusement.

“Whaddya mean? I’ve always called you that.”

“Exactly, and you have yet to call me by my actual name.” Iwazumi sat back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Oh my god, Iwaizumi, I’m so sorry!” Bokuto suddenly stood up and bowed deeply, causing his chair to fall over and the table to shake. Kenma quickly caught his coffee just in time before it spilled all over his and Oikawa’s notes.


	20. Friday, December 8th + Saturday, December 9th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so here's the last chapter! Sorry it took so long, we got super busy cuz of school and work and stuff. Also we had so much trouble writing this chapter, so that was fun. Also there's implied sex in this chapter lol. Thank you guys for all the kudos and comments, we read all of them! And once again thank you so much for reading :)  
> -killuagone

“When I moved out of my parents’ house, I thought I’d never miss it—but I’m glad to be back.” Kenma smiled fondly out the taxi window and up at his bedroom window on the second floor of his childhood home. 

Kuroo reciprocated the smile as he recognized his own home right next to Kenma’s before he got out of the taxi and stretched his limbs. The train and taxi ride to their neighborhood proved to put quite a strain on Kuroo’s body but he was able to unload their luggage from the back of the taxi and pay the driver easily.

“I’ll see you in a little bit.” Kuroo pressed a quick kiss to Kenma’s cheek before shouldering his backpack and grabbing his suitcase handle. Kuroo fumbled in his pocket for his old house key before the door unlocked from the inside and he was wrapped up in his grandfather’s embrace.

“Tetsu-tan! You look like you’ve grown so much since I last saw you.” He bellowed, releasing him before clapping on the back. He quickly took Kuroo’s suitcase from him and ushered him inside the house.

“Oji-san, I told you to drop the ‘tan’. I’m not a little kid anymore!” Kuroo chuckled and stepped inside, inhaling the familiar scent of his home.

“Aw, you’ll always be my little Tetsu-tan.” Kuroo’s grandfather chuckled before ruffling his hair. “And you’ll always have the same awful hair.” He added before making his way up the stairs with Kuroo’s suitcase in his hand.

Kuroo narrowed his eyes at the old man’s back before following him up the stairs and into his old bedroom.

“We kept everything just the way you left it. Your dad refused to let us turn it into a home gym.” Kuroo’s grandfather dropped the suitcase on the bed, causing a cloud of dust to puff up from the sheet. “As you can see, we didn’t even wash the sheets.” He joked. Kuroo laughed and let his backpack drop to the floor before he flopped onto his bed, holding his breath temporarily to avoid getting assaulted by the dust. 

“It’s perfect.” He could make out the faint green lines of the small glow-in-the-dark star stickers he had begged his father to put on the ceiling for him when he was little. They were so faded that they almost blended in with the white ceiling. He felt his grandfather sit down on the bed next to him and heard him sigh.

“I’m surprised you didn’t bring Ken-tan with you.” Kuroo’s grandfather observed after a beat of silence. Kuroo sat up abruptly, snapping out of his nostalgia and remembering that he had promised Kenma he’d be over in a little bit. It had been almost half an hour.

“Actually, I told him I’d meet him over at his house. We got here together but I just wanted to give him some time with his mom.” Kuroo stood up and brushed the dust off of his pants. “And to come see you, of course, Oji-san.” He patted his grandfather on the shoulder with a mischievous grin. 

Kuroo’s grandfather smugly wiped the dust from his shoulder and chuckled. “How sweet.” He surveyed Kuroo’s room. “And yes, I’ll wash your sheets.”

* * *

Kenma sighed before walking towards his home. His suitcase trailed behind him as he struggled to bring it up the few steps in front of his home. He noticed only one car was home and noted that it was likely only his mother was home. He knocked on the door a few times before his mother opened the door with an excited squeal before enveloping him in a hug. He dropped his suitcase in surprise, but eventually wrapped his arms around his mom.

“Ken-tan! You’re finally home, I’ve missed you so much. Your father doesn’t appreciate my cooking like you and Kuroo-chan do.” Kenma’s mother greeted, keeping him captive in the doorway. 

Kenma smiled into the embrace. They let go of each other before Kenma’s mother hurriedly grabbed his suitcase from the floor to bring it inside of their mom.

“Come in, come in. I’m in the middle of making dinner, will Kuro-chan be joining us?” She asked.

“Yeah, I think he’s gonna come by once he’s settled.”

“Perfect! Now, go settle in and I’ll call you when dinner’s ready. I wanna hear all about what you’ve been up to at university.” She replied, hurrying back over to the stove where she was frying mackerel.

“Okay. Thank you, Okaa-san.”

“You’re welcome. Anything for you Ken-chan.” 

Kenma smiled at her before, once again, struggling to get his suitcase up the stairs to the second floor. He opened the door to his room and placed his suitcase and backpack on the floor before laying face down onto his bed. He sighed and rolled over to stare at the ceiling. The last time Kenma had been in this room, he was riddled with anxiety about his future. Turns out, he had been worried for nothing. This semester was nothing like how he’d thought it’d be like, and he was thankful for that. He unlocked his phone and sent Kuroo a text about dinner before pulling out his PSP. 

About 10 minutes later, Kuroo texted him that he was waiting at the door, and Kenma walked back downstairs to let him in.

“Hi.” Kuroo smiled.

“Hi.” Kenma replied, somehow feeling shy about their relationship status. Having him here in his childhood home as his boyfriend made Kenma feel embarrassed. He had yet to tell his mother about the change in their relationship, but felt that she would somehow notice it nevertheless.

Kenma opened the door wider, letting Kuroo walk inside his home.

“Kuroo-chan!” Kenma’s mother greeted, walking up to hug Kuroo.

“Okaa-san!” Kuroo greeted back, Kuroo had been calling her his mother for as long as they could remember. 

“Kuroo-chan, how has college been? Has Kenma been alright? How is Sachiko?” She questioned.

Kuroo chuckled to himself, bringing a hand behind his head.

“Okaa-san, please don’t assault him with questions he literally just walked through the door.”

“Aw but Ken-chan, I missed Kuroo too! Besides, he’s more likely to give me an update on you than you are.” She chuckled..

Kenma pouted in response, sitting down at the dinner table. Kenma’s mother began to bring the food she had made to the table as they all sat around it.

“Where’s Oto-san?” Kenma asked.

“Oh, your father had to work late today, so he’ll be here in a couple hours.”

Kenma nodded, bringing a bite of fish up to his lips. Kuroo and Kenma’s mother chatted idly about things like volleyball and Kenma’s adjustment to college and living with Kuroo.

“Kuroo-chan, you never answered me! How’s Sachiko been?”

Kuroo coughed awkwardly into his arm, the pressing question making him feel uncomfortable. Kuroo and Kenma hadn’t really talked about telling their parents about their new relationship, and Kuroo didn’t want to tell Kenma’s mother about them being together if that wasn’t what Kenma wanted. 

“Oh, um. I wouldn’t really know, we broke up in August and haven’t spoken since.”

“Oh, I am so sorry, Kuro-chan. That must’ve been really hard for you.”

“It’s alright, it was gonna happen eventually. We wanted different things.” Kuroo responded, glancing at Kenma momentarily.

Kenma’s mother nodded knowingly, looking between the two.

“Well, I’m glad you had Ken-tan there to comfort you.” She smiled.

Kenma peered down at his fish, hoping his mother wouldn’t recognize the warmth that wouldn’t leave his face. He dragged his fork around the plate, trying not to give anything away.

“Yeah, I’m glad he was there, too.” Kuroo smiled, looking at Kenma.

“So, how’s your relationship been, then?” She tested.

“W-what do you mean?” Kuroo asked, completely caught off guard by the new question.

She sat back in her chair smiling at the two. “Well, you’ve obviously grown even closer. I’m surprised you’re not tired of each other.”

Both Kenma and Kuroo began to answer at the same time.

“Okaa-san…”

“Shh, dear, I want to hear what Kuroo has to say about it.”

Kenma glared at her. She had obviously figured out what was going on between them, but wanted to see how much she could embarrass them before she admitted she knew.

“Uh, well—”

“Kuro, you don’t have to answer. She already knows.” Kenma sighed, leaning back in his chair. Kuroo sighed and relaxed his shoulders a little bit.

“Oh.”

She laughed at the two. “I’m honestly happy for you! I feel like I've been waiting for you guys to get together forever. You two had been dancing around each other for so long it was bound to happen. I remember this one time Ken-chan came home from your house and—”

“Okaa-san…” Kenma warned.

“Shh, dear, I want to hear what your mom has to say about it”

Kenma glared at Kuroo from his chair as his mother giggled at the two of them.

“Fine, I won’t embarrass you anymore, Ken-chan. But, seriously, how long have you been together?”

“A couple of weeks. It’s still pretty new.” Kenma responded, refusing to meet either of their gazes.

“Nonsense, ‘still pretty new’? You guys have practically been together for years! I don’t think too much has changed other than the fact that you finally admitted your feelings.”

“I guess.”

She smiled contentedly at the two, deciding that she had interrogated them enough and rising from her chair. The two boys quickly helped her clean up, until there were only two plates left. 

“Why do you have two plates prepared?” Kenma questioned.

“One is for your father, and the other is for Haiko-san down the street. I bring her dinner and help her out the days that her daughter isn’t there. I’m gonna go visit her for a while, though, so I’ll be back in an hour or so.”

Kenma nodded. “Okay, be careful.”

“Aw, Ken-tan, being with Kuro-chan really has made you more caring.” Kenma’s mother ruffled Kenma’s hair and grinned, earning a scowl from her son.

“Okay. I'm kidding, I'm kidding.” She relented, pulling her hand away.

Kenma’s mother left the house, locking the door behind her. Kenma and Kuroo finished up cleaning the kitchen before heading up stairs to Kenma’s room.

Kuroo followed Kenma into his room and breathed in the familiar scent of nostalgia and his teenage years. He recognized the gaming setup in the corner of Kenma’s room, where Kenma would spend hours upon hours of gaming. He recognized the dresser drawer, where he had found countless sweaters and hoodies that had been missing due to Kenma hoarding them. He smiled gently to himself as he took it all in.

“It’s weird, isn’t it?” Kuroo said thoughtfully, sitting on the edge of Kenma’s bed and glancing around the room. Kenma crawled into his bed and laid his head in Kuroo’s lap, pulling the hood of his jacket tight around his face.

“What’s weird?”

“Well, the last time I was here...we were sitting just like this...and I was getting ready to leave for university.” Kuroo smiled fondly at the memory of Kenma shedding a tear or two when it was time for Kuroo to move away. He ghosted his thumb over Kenma’s cheek and continued. “But we weren’t dating. The last time I was here...we weren’t together.”

“And what about it?” 

“I don’t know, kitten! I just think it’s weird that we’ve always been like this but we were never together. Hell, I didn’t even know I liked guys and I was still so affectionate with you.”

“Yeah, you’re worse now that we’re dating, though.” Kenma remarked, giving a pointed glance at Kuroo’s thumb tracing circles into his cheek. Kuroo blushed.

“But I just can’t help it!” Kuroo leaned down to pepper kisses all over Kenma’s nose, cheeks, and forehead. “You’re just so cute and I’ve got you all to myself.” Kuroo accentuated his claim with a chaste kiss to Kenma’s lips. Kuroo didn’t mean for the kiss to linger, and Kenma didn’t mean to loosen the strings of his hoodie. Kuroo’s fingers moved on their own as they carded through Kenma’s hair, as did Kenma’s fingers when they splayed out across Kuroo’s cheeks and pressed themselves into the soft, flushed skin. 

Kuroo broke apart from the kiss for just a moment to carefully move Kenma’s head off of his lap and onto the bed, getting on his hands and knees and caging Kenma in on the bed with his arms on either side of his head. One of Kuroo’s arms moved on its own to push up Kenma’s shirt, and as Kuroo’s head dipped back down to recapture Kenma’s lips, Kenma pressed his finger against Kuroo’s lips to block the kiss. 

“Wait, are we really about to have sex for the first time in my childhood bedroom?” Kenma raised his eyebrows, earning a pensive look from Kuroo.

“Uh...yeah.” Kuroo gave a definitive nod and smirked down at Kenma. “Romantic, am I right?” Kenma scowled at Kuroo’s remark. “I mean, unless you don’t want to. All you have to do is say the word and I’ll stop.” 

“I—it’s my first time. With anyone.” Kenma blushed and averted his gaze from Kuroo to the ceiling above Kuroo, feeling like he might explode from the embarrassment. Kuroo’s cool hand soothed Kenma’s hot skin as he cupped his cheek and smiled down at Kenma. 

“It’s my first time, too. With a guy.” Kuroo winced at the memory of the bartender he had brought to the apartment that one night. “I never—” Kenma pressed his finger to Kuroo’s lips for the second time that night and offered him a small smile.

“I know. Thank you.” The couple grew quiet, unsure how to proceed. 

“So...are you sure you’re okay with this?” Kuroo prodded, adamant on receiving a response before he made any plans to continue.

After a quiet and shy ‘yes’ of consent from Kenma, Kuroo slowly lowered his head to meet Kenma’s lips once again, and Kenma got to work sneaking his fingers under the hem of Kuroo’s sweater. 

* * *

Kenma pressed into Kuroo’s side on the train to avoid bumping into strangers and relaxed once Kuroo wrapped an arm around his shoulder to pull him closer. 

“Is it stupid that I’m kinda nervous to see them?” Kuroo chuckled. 

“Why?” 

“I dunno how they’re going to react.”

“To what?” 

“Us.” 

“So are we gonna tell them about us or are we gonna let them find out like my mom did last night?” Kenma raised an eyebrow at Kuroo and Kuroo scratched the back of his head with his free hand.

“Listen, your mom can obviously read minds, it wasn’t my fault.” 

“Whatever. We can tell them if you want.”

“We’ll only tell them if you want to, kitten.” Kuroo looked Kenma in the eye, searching for any signs of uncertainty or fear.

“It’s okay. I trust them.” Kenma gave Kuroo a reassuring smile. The rest of the train ride was blissfully quiet, but both Kuroo and Kenma were going over all the ways it could go wrong when they told their friends about their relationship. They both knew how understanding and accepting the team was—after all, everyone was happy for Lev and Yaku when they got together.

“Kenma-san! Kuroo-san!” The couple braced themselves as the tall, silver-haired Russian barreled toward them with his arms outstretched. He captured them both in a tight hug before getting ripped away by Yaku, who glared at his stupidly chaotic boyfriend.

“Give them space, you behemoth!” Yaku reached up to grab Lev by the ear and dragged him to where the rest of Nekoma sat at a table, beckoning for Kuroo and Kenma to follow. They greeted their former teammates before joining the line to order their ice cream.

Kuroo’s hand circled around Kenma’s waist as they waited. He felt the lingering stares of their former teammates momentarily as he leaned down towards Kenma. 

“Is this okay?”

“Yeah, it’s okay.” Kuroo smiled, bringing his other hand around Kenma’s waist as he leaned his head on his shoulder. They reached the front of the line before ordering their ice cream and Kenma’s hand looped around Kuroo’s arm instinctively as they reached the table. As the pair drew closer to the table a symphony of wolf whistles and ooh’s and aah’s made them blush.

After they finished their ice cream, the group of boys went outside towards their old favorite hangout spot to catch up. As they walked outside of the ice cream parlor, Lev immediately began gushing about a new video game to Kenma, who was surprisingly interested in the conversation.Yaku caught Kuroo by the elbow, pulling him away from Kenma’s side.

“Tetsu-kun…” Yaku lilted, jabbing his elbow into Kuroo’s side with a grin and narrowed eyes. “I’ve never seen you in love before, dude.” 

“Listen, the only man that I love is my dad.” Kuroo lied quickly. Yaku narrowed his eyes even more.

“You’re such a terrible liar, idiot.” 

“Yeah, I am.” He said, glancing at Kenma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading !!
> 
> also, check out our series _something old from something new_ for prequels to the established relationships in this fic (bokuaka + ushiten)  
> >>update: i just posted the bokuaka prequel (26.07.20) - coocoocatchoo
> 
> tumblr: @coocoocatchoo @killuagone


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